Consumer groups: Comcast-NBC is a horizontal merger that hurts viewers, Internet users

Mark Cooper will represent consumers in two hearings this Thursday on Comcast and NBC Universal's proposed $30 billion merger. And the way the veteran consumer advocate sees the deal, television viewers and Internet users aren't going to end up the better from it.

Cooper, director of research at the Consumer Federation of America, points out that Comcast and NBC Universal have significant business lines that do overlap. To him, that makes the deal a horizontal merger with much greater competition concerns.

"This is a hugely complicated deal and Justice has to look at all the aspects, including the many horizontal aspects that will take away competition if this merger is approved," he said. "The fact that they keep saying it's a vertical merger is to confuse you."