Consumer Watchdog Asks FCC And DOJ To Block Comcast-Time Warner Deal; Merger Would Raise Cable TV Prices And Concentrate Power Over Broadband

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Consumer Watchdog is calling on the U.S. Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission to block Comcast's deal to buy Time Warner Cable for $45 billion because it is anticompetitive and not in the public interest.

"Combining the two largest cable television providers into one company would create an unjustifiable monopoly that would have unfair power over consumers who would inevitably see prices rise and bad service get even worse," said John M. Simpson, Consumer Watchdog's Privacy Project.  "The implications for broadband access to the Internet where we in the United States pay more for slower speeds than most of the rest of the industrialized world are dire. Comcast would have no incentive to improve broadband service and would have the power to do what it wants."

The Justice Department must review the proposed deal considering competitive issues and decide whether it would violate antitrust law. The FCC has a broader mandate and must determine whether the deal is in the public interest.

"This deal may be good for Time Warner's shareholders and Wall Street fat cats, but there is no way creating this media juggernaut can be considered in the public interest," said Simpson.

Visit Consumer Watchdog's website at www.consumerwatchdog.org

SOURCE Consumer Watchdog