February 28th, 2014
More and more articles come out every day denouncing the Comcast and Time Warner Cable merger deal that has one third of the nation’s cable and broadband subscribers worried about the future of their TV and their internet.
CBS News released a report this week detailing how the deal will affect more than just Television:
First and foremost, the merger will reshape the broadband landscape in the U.S. Since Comcast and Time Warner Cable don’t have overlapping markets, this will dramatically increase Comcast’s reach into new cities across the country. With those additional subscribers, Comcast will have new power to negotiate with companies like streaming-video service Netflix (NFLX), which currently accounts for between a third and a half of all the network traffic in the country.
CBS asserts that the move is meant to break potential competition with new Verizon and Dish network ventures into the broadband realm. And most criticism of the merger has cited the move as obvious barriers to newer firms looking to give Americans choices in their broadband purchases.
Forbes tells a similar story, blatantly stating that competition can only be hurt by such a move. Warren Grimes doesn’t mince words:
Television distribution in the United States is broken. The system denies consumers reasonable choices at affordable prices. Comcast’s proposed acquisition of Time Warner Cable will make a dismally performing and anticompetitive industry even worse.
Even comedians in Hollywood decided to speak up, releasing a video on Will Ferrell’s “Funny or Die” website that pokes fun at Comcast’s history of poor customer service and even poorer responses to feedback. (Video — note: explicit language.)
The public has spoken. Now we wait to see if the FCC will approve the merger.
Emily Torres is an Entertainment and News Blogger for TV and Dish Network.
Categories: DISH & TV news