Federal Communications Commission tries to get Comcast to accept video opposition

Critics fear the upcoming Comcast/NBC Universal merging will bring total monopoly to the flow of modern media. That’s something Genachowski and the Federal Communications Commission do not want, so they’re after Comcast to play nice when it comes to video competition. Thus, the FCC is now in negotiations with Comcast to make sure that Comcast Corp. will not take control once the NBC Universal purchase is complete, accounts the Associated Press.

No more video competition?

A $13.8 billion deal between Comcast and General Electric giving Comcast most of the NBC Universal shares might happen soon. It is something that is worrying many video competition companies to have Comcast with so much control. Genachowski and the FCC want to ensure that other broadcast media companies will still have room to compete for viewership. Other companies might have a hard time getting the right programming making it hard to compete. This would make Comcast a stronger frontrunner to lose competition.

The Comcast-NBC Universal merger, by the numbers

Comcast will control a huge media network if it is able to purchase the NBC Universal as planned. Included in this would be the NBC and Telemundo networks; 26 local TV stations; a host of popular cable networks like CNBC, Bravo and Oxygen; Universal film studio and related amusement parks; as well as a significant stake in Hulu.com. As Comcast already is in control of cable channels like E! Entertainment, Versus and the Golf Channel – and has controlling interest in various Philadelphia pro sports teams and their corresponding cable networks – the mega-corporation’s already staggering reach would be off the scale. Comcast now has about 23 million On-Demand video subscribers and 17 million broadband Internet subscribers.

The loopholes to be seen

Telecommunications companies can play favorites with the “too many loopholes” experts believe the FCC has left. This is with the net neutrality ruling that the FCC made. There won’t be the spirit of competition the FCC is hoping for. This is all the FCC is trying to protect anyway.

Citations

MSNBC

msnbc.msn.com/id/40794364/ns/business-us_business/

Sen. Al Franken blasts Comcast-NBC merger

youtube.com/watch?v=fRJ4YoZ-uzg