Outspoken cable subscribers aren’t the only ones objecting to the merger of Time Warner Cable and Comcast; Consumer advocates are as well. Not only that, but the FCC and Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice are covering every inch of this possible merger that will lead both companies’ future into a possible juggernaut.
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The Consumers Union has officially objected to the possible merger on behalf of consumers and other businesses that’ll be affected. You can read the entire opposition here, but here is the basic gist of what they’re using as fuel for their objections:
- Comcast and Time Warner Cable subscribers will be worse off post-merger because it will lead to slower bandwidth speeds.
- Comcast increasing its size will not lead to any significant benefit to consumers.
- The merger of both companies and claims of “the best of both” ignores problems and costs of technologies that are incompatible.
- Competition from other companies will suffer significantly due to the merger.
- Innovation in technology will suffer due to lack of competition.
- The merger will lead to Comcast controlling nearly all the major TV markets in the country (16 of the 20 largest U.S. markets for multichannel video programming distribution, and in 17 of the 20 largest U.S. markets for broadband Internet service).
The list of problems with the potential merger goes on. Protests will continue until the merger is defeated, or they’ll ramp up even more if it is approved.
