David Sirota: Big Cable’s Almighty Dollar
from In These Times:
Big Cables Almighty Dollar
Will Comcasts and Time Warner Cables money outpace public objection to their potential merger? Stay tuned.
BY DAVID SIROTA
There are plenty of reasons to worry about the proposal to combine Comcast, Americas largest cable and broadband company, with Time Warner Cable, the second-largest cable firm and third-largest broadband provider.
For one, theres ever more consolidated control over content. Theres also the possibility of certain types of content being given special (or worse) treatment based on the providers relationship with Comcast and Time Warner Cable. And theres the prospect of even higher prices. Indeed a Comcast executive recently admitted that the company will not promise bills are going to go down or even that theyre going to increase less rapidly.
In the capital of a properly functioning democracy, all of these concerns would prompt the federal government to block the deal. But Washington is an occupied cityoccupied by Comcasts vast army. As Time recently reported, The company has registered at least 76 lobbyists across 24 firms. Those figures include neither telecom lobbyist turned FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler nor Senate Majority Leader Harry Reids chief of staff, who was a Comcast vice president and raked in $1.2 million in Comcast payments since taking his government job.
All of that political power is enhanced by the $9.3 million Comcast, Time Warner Cable and their affiliates have spent on campaign contributions to federal officials in just the last few years, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. .................(more)
The complete piece is at:
http://inthesetimes.com/article/16758/comcast_time_warner_merger