Comcast-NBCU Merger is Bad for Democracy

[Commentary] The Comcast-NBC Universal deal is more than a routine business story. The merger signifies massive media consolidation. This consolidation gives one company -- Comcast -- enormous control over the speech shaping Americans' lives and shaping our democracy. The merger puts Comcast in control of MSNBC (a 24 hour news channel with an enormous impact on public opinion), CNBC (which impacts public opinion about Wall Street, now a hotly debated political question), NBC network (whose nightly news show averages eight million viewers, many times that of cable shows like those on Fox News), and 27 television stations (which generally have programs covering local news). Putting so much power in the hands of one company -- and, specifically, its executives -- is dangerous for a democracy. How? Targeted private censorship, structurally closing out independents, and favoring one-way communications.