Comcast-NBC Universal draws concerns by lawmakers, FCC

Lawmakers sent statements after the announcement of the Comcast-NBC Universal deal, calling for hearings on the deal to see if it could hurt consumers with higher prices and less diverse programming.

Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI), who heads the Antitrust and Competition Policy Subcommittee, said he will hold a congressional hearing to assess the merger's impact on diversity in programming and on how people access media content on the Web.

Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), chairman of the Commerce Committee, said he has "serious questions" about the deal. "A joint venture of this magnitude would benefit from regulatory oversight. When major media companies swell to control both content and distribution, we need to make sure consumers are not left with lesser content and higher rates." Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) said his subcommittee will keep a close watch on a Comcast/NBCU deal.

House Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) wants hearings on Comcast/NBCU "at the earliest practicable date." He said he would work with Communications Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher (D-VA) to schedule the hearings.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) said his committee will need to scrutinize the deal as well.

The Federal Communications Commission, which will review the merger along with antitrust regulators, issued a brief statement saying it will give the deal a thorough review. "The FCC will carefully examine the proposed merger and will be thorough, fair, and fact-based in its review," said spokeswoman Jen Howard. FCC Commissioner Michael Copps said, "The push to combine content and distribution continues and, as the economy recovers, we will see more proposed media industry combinations. While I look at each proposed transaction on its individual merits, my long-standing skepticism about the harms imposed by so few controlling so much persists. And this particular transaction raises a multitude of important questions: What is its impact on the prices consumers will pay? Would the combination mean more newsrooms (but perhaps fewer reporters) controlled by one entity? How would the transaction affect minorities and diversity on the airwaves? Would this merger lead to fewer voices on both traditional and new media? Does the nature of the transaction make even more urgent the need for FCC network neutrality rules? What about the future of competition in the several markets these companies serve?"