American Cable Association Letter on Antitrust to Senate Antitrust Subcommittee Leaders

I write on behalf of the American Cable Association (ACA) regarding your upcoming hearing on antitrust enforcement. [W]e believe we can provide a unique perspective on two sets of issues facing antitrust enforcement:

Media Consolidation: Cable bills have increased in recent years. Media consolidation—both “vertical” mergers like AT&T-Time Warner and “horizontal” ones like the proposed Sinclair-Tribune combination—is in no small part responsible for this problem. Further consolidation threatens to exacerbate the problem, leading to even higher cable bills, particularly for customers of smaller operators.
Broadband Service: The larger platform firms and content distribution networks can dictate terms to smaller Internet service providers (ISPs), just as upstream programmers do in the video market. Already, many smaller ISPs are unable to get these firms to enter into arrangements to improve service for their customers. Should such practices continue and become even more extensive, smaller ISPs will be put at a competitive disadvantage and their customers will have reduced choice and pay higher prices for service.