FCC chairman to approve NBC-Comcast merger with conditions

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski indicated that he will approve the merger of Comcast and NBC Universal with a set of conditions.

Agency officials announced Thursday he wants to allow the companies to move forward with their deal if they make a certain set of commitments about how the new entity will operate.

The FCC approves deals based on whether they are in the public interest and decided the merger passes that test if conditions are applied.

The chairman’s conditions address diversity, the future of online video and program access, among other issues, the officials said.

The order, which will begin circulating Thursday at the commission, will still undergo tweaks as other commissioners weigh in.

It is subject to a vote by the commissioners and could be on the January agenda, but the process might slide beyond that.

The merger is still under review at the Justice Department.