Rep Waters Uses Fox/Cablevision Hook to Talk Comcast/NBCU

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) used the Fox/Cablevision retransmission fight to renew her calls for conditions on the Comcast/NBCU deal. In a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski, she said that if Comcast were to use its ownership of NBCU TV stations, or online content, as leverage to negotiate higher rates from cable competitors, it could potentially harm consumers. She called on the FCC and the Department of Justice to consider the impact the merger could have in areas where Comcast will own both a cable system and an NBC owned-and-operated broadcast station.