Technology
Comcast Critics Unite to Oppose TWC Merger
In this July 30, 2008 file photo illustration, a silhouetted coaxial cable with the Comcast Corp. logo in the background is seen in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, file)
(Politico) – Some of the biggest opponents of the Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger are joining forces in a new coalition as they intensify efforts to crush the deal’s chances for approval in Washington.
DISH Network and advocacy group Public Knowledge are among those behind the bluntly named “Stop Mega-Comcast Coalition,” which is launching with 16 members Wednesday. The group argues the $45 billion deal combining the nation’s two largest cable companies would harm competition in everything from high-speed broadband service to local advertising.
Members, from Glenn Beck-owned The Blaze to the Writers Guild of America-West, plan to lobby lawmakers on Capitol Hill, meet with Federal Communications Commission commissioners and staff, and mount a media blitz under the stewardship of communications firm Glover Park Group. And while one major Comcast merger opponent — Netflix — is not part of the coalition, the members hope speaking in a more unified voice will help amplify their message.
“What’s important about this coalition is to connect the dots,” said DISH Senior Vice President Jeff Blum. “This is too much power in the hands of one company. The ways that Comcast-Time Warner Cable could engage in anti-competitive and anti-consumer behavior is so vast.”
