Sen. Rockefeller ‘disappointed’ in FCC Comcast-NBC review

Both the FCC and the Department of Justice approved the merger on Tuesday after including conditions aimed at protecting media diversity, access and competition in the online video market.

There is also a condition that Comcast must offer stand-alone broadband service at $49.95 a month for three years.

Comcast executive vice president David Cohen told reporters on Tuesday
the conditions on the deal won’t have any effect on Comcast’s business
plans moving forward. He noted that the locked-in price for broadband
service is comparable to Comcast’s current pricing structure.

Rockefeller said he wishes the FCC had imposed a similar condition on cable rates to prevent price increases for consumers.

“I wish the FCC had made an effort to hold down consumer cable rates in
this transaction, because rates that rise as much as three times the
rate of inflation deserve a close look,” Rockefeller said. “I hope that competitors will
provide new pressure on these rates and bring consumers more choices as
the video market continues to evolve, but I intend to have the committee
keep a close watch on this issue going forward.”

Rockefeller said his committee will make certain that Comcast and NBC follow through on their various commitments to news, local and children’s programming while also keeping an eye on the development of online video competition.