A group of 37 organizations wrote a letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, and copied the other four commissioners, to express their opposition to the proposed merger of Comcast and Time Warner Cable.
They noted that they are in good company.
Their voices are being added to those of more than 700,000 Americans who have contacted the FCC to ask that the merger be rejected.
Their objection of the group of groups is simple: The merged entity will be too big.
“The message is clear: the Commission should reject this merger because it would result in too much power in the hands of one company,” they wrote.
“You have staked your chairmanship on the importance of fostering competition to protect consumers and spur innovation, investment, lower prices and diversity. We agree. And the only way to protect that competitive future now is to reject the Comcast/Time Warner Cable merger outright — no conditions, no side deals — no merger, period.”
They charged that Comcast has disregarded conditions of its previous merger, and point out that the “sheer size and scope” of this deal would allow the merged entity all sorts of power to thwart new innovative competitors going forward. They said the merger poses too much risk and should be disallowed.
Among the signatories was Mike Gravino of the LPTV Spectrum Rights Coalition. He had a particular objection: “Our reasons are simply, that both Comcast and Time Warner have abused the statutory responsibilities they have in regards to ‘leased access’ for LPTV stations, and have chosen to act as gatekeepers of content by charging selected networks $0 and others the full authorized rate. This is simply not allowed and a case is working its way now through the FCC and courts about it.”
Signing the letter were:
* Antonio Briceno, Managing Director beIN Sports
* Todd O’Boyle, Program Director Common Cause
* Amina N. Fazlullah, Director of Policy Benton Foundation
* Robert Beury, Chief Legal Officer Cogent Communications
* Brandi Collins, Media Justice Director Color of Change
* Mark Cooper, Research Director Consumer Federation of America (CFA)
* Eddie Kurtz, Executive Director Courage Campaign
* Jeffrey Blum, Deputy General Counsel DISH Network
* Matt Wood, Policy Director Free Press
* Angie Kronenberg, Chief Advocate and GC COMPTEL
* Linda Sherry, Director, National Priorities Consumer Action
* Ed Black, President & CEO Computer & Communications Industry Association
* Ellen Bloom, Senior Director, Federal Policy Consumers Union
* David Segal, Executive Director/Co-Founder Demand Progress
* Evan Engstrom, Policy Director Engine
* Casey Rae, Chief Executive Officer Future of Music Coalition
* Orson Aguilar, Executive Director The Greenlining Institute
* Jesse Miranda, Founder Jesse Miranda Center for Hispanic Leadership
* Gilbert Vasquez, Chair Los Angeles Latino Chamber of Commerce
* Wendy Levy, Executive Director National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture
* Joshua Stager, Policy Counsel New America’s Open Technology Institute
* Steve Anderson, Executive Director OpenMedia
* Arturo Carmona, Executive Director Presente
* Genevieve Morelli, President ITTA
* Mike Gravino LPTV Coalition
* Tracy Rosenberg, Executive Director Media Alliance
* Robert Gnaizda, General Counsel National Asian American Coalition
* Jill Canfield, Vice-President of Legal & Industry Assistant General Counsel NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association
* Tim Winter, President Parents Television Council
* Gene Kimmelman, President and CEO Public Knowledge
* Stephen G. Kraskin, President Rural Broadband Alliance
* Mark Toney, Executive Director TURN
* Michael Winship, President Writers Guild of America, East, AFL-CIO
* Sameer Targe, General Manager Zee Network
* David Goodfriend, Chairman Sports Fans Coalition
* Michael Norton, President WeatherNation
* Chris Keyser, President Writers Guild of America, West
