House Judiciary Committee examines Comcast-NBC Universal merger
The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing Feb. 25 to explore the potential anticompetitive impact of Comcast Corp.’s acquisition of NBC Universal. Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) opened the hearing by emphasizing the state of the economy and job losses. Conyers expressed his concern about the number of big media consolidations in recent years and noted that there are cases where vertical mergers are more harmful than horizontal mergers. The Chairman also indicated his interest in examining the role of Internet versus cable video distribution more closely after today’s hearing. Finally, Conyers noted that parts of Michigan are experiencing 30 percent unemployment now, and that additional job cuts in the wake of the merger would be felt acutely in his state.
Many committee members focused on labor issues and competition. Some questions focused on the impact the merged entity may have on the emerging online video market. Also, at the urging of several lawmakers, particularly Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Comcast’s Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts and NBC’s President and CEO Jeff Zucker agreed to meet with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) regarding concerns about job cuts resulting from the merger and past promises of Comcast that CWA says went unmet. Zucker and Roberts also agreed to meet the Independent Film and Television Alliance to discuss concerns about independent programmers being able to retain ownership over content that the newly merged entity would distribute.
The panel is the third congressional committee to focus on the merger. More oversight hearings are expected in coming months as regulators at the Justice Department and the FCC review its impact on competition and the public interest.
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