NBC On Record Opposing Consolidation

NBC Universal, which claims its pending merger with Comcast would be a boon for consumers, warned of dire consequences nine years ago when Time Warner and AOL wanted to combine. In a July 24, 2000 letter to the Federal Communications Commission, NBC wrote, "Given the size and scope of the proposed merged company, AOL/Time Warner will have both the ability and the incentive to discriminate against unaffiliated content providers such as NBC." The Peacock network also urged the agency "to establish firm principles of non-discrimination in the treatment of unaffiliated content providers in the broadband services marketplace" -- a step that Comcast is now trying to prevent the FCC from taking. The letter was signed by NBC Executive Vice President and General Counsel Rick Cotton, who observed during a Friday press briefing that predictions about the dominance of a merged Time Warner-AOL never materialized. Of course, if he and others at NBC had gotten their way, the deal might never have been approved.