Technology
Comcast Accused of Wooing FCC Commissioner with $110K Dinner
In this combination of Associated Press photos, the a coaxial cable is displayed in front of the Comcast Corp. logo in Philadelphia, on Wednesday, July 30, 2008, and a Time Warner Cable truck is parked in New York on Feb. 2, 2009. Comcast Corp. announced Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014, that it is buying Time Warner Cable Inc. for $45.2 billion in stock. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
(Daily Tech) – For Time Warner Cable Inc. (TWC) subscribers dreading the pending takeover by Comcast Corp. (CMCSA), the news isn’t pretty. Hopes to avoid getting the “Comcast experience and witnessing the company’s beloved customer service appear to be waning as America’s largest cable company ratchets up its charm offensive in Washington, D.C. — and it’s “generous” gifts to federal regulators.
I. Approval at Any Cost?
Having already paid millions to members of Congress in hopes of swaying regulatory decisions regarding the proposed $45.2B USD deal, Comcast appeared to make yet another brazen move this week, donating $110,000 as a “presenting sponsor” for a lavish dinner party honoring U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Mignon L. Clyburne. Time Warner Cable chipped in a more modest $22,000 USD.
The donations were reported on by Politico and Fierce Cable, among others, following a blog by the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).
