A combined Comcast-NBC Universal would have horizontal and vertical competitive harms, said...
A combined Comcast-NBC Universal would have horizontal and vertical competitive harms, said a slide shown to FCC officials last week by the American Cable Association. “By controlling a much larger block of highly demanded programming, the merged entity will be…
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able to charge higher programming fees” to pay-TV providers -- expenses to be borne by subscribers, said another slide. Vertical harm is predicted because Comcast’s profit will be reduced when NBC sells programming to pay-TV operators competing with that cable company. The slides were shown by a professor to Media Bureau Chief Bill Lake, Office of Strategic Planning Chief Paul de Sa, an aide to Chairman Julius Genachowski and other FCC officials, said a Friday filing at http://xrl.us/bhhmb4. Monday, Outdoor Channel CEO Roger Werner wrote Genachowski saying Comcast is a good business partner. Werner asked that a condition Comcast proposed for its plan to buy control of NBC Universal -- in which the cable operator would carry more independently owned cable channels -- include giving broader distribution to “proven independents.” Although the FCC Friday paused its six-month deadline clock for review of Comcast-NBC Universal as it awaits two studies from those companies (CD April 19 p1), commission staffers continue their review of the deal, an agency official said.