Why the Comcast-Time Warner Deal Is Far More Dangerous Than You Think

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[Commentary] The Comcast-Time Warner Cable deal is bigger than you think. Comcast hopes to create not only an enormous cable TV provider, but the largest broadband Internet provider in the United States and a company that controls about half of all “triple play” services, which bundle cable TV and broadband alongside Internet-based telephone connections. And that only begins to describe the magnitude of the deal.

If approved by federal regulators, the merger would reverberate through myriad markets beyond the cable TV, commercial broadband, and telephone industries. The deal could impact satellite TV, television programmers like ESPN and Fox, online video providers like Netflix and YouTube, and the massive networks at the very heart of the Internet. But the issues go far beyond whether consumers have access to other types of services. Most importantly, this merger would give Comcast added leverage in its relationships with television channels, content providers such as Netflix, and the companies that operate the infrastructure underpinning the Internet. That could shift the balance in the battle over network neutrality, which seeks to prevent companies like Comcast from discriminating against traffic from providers like Netflix, and it could create a world in which there are even more walls dividing what and how you view content online.


Why the Comcast-Time Warner Deal Is Far More Dangerous Than You Think