Comcast-NBC deal faces regulatory hurdles

[Fleshdancer]

hahahahaha! Regulation? Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it.

http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN038788320091203

Comcast and General Electric Co (GE.N) unveiled their NBC Universal deal on Thursday, planning to set up a joint venture that is 51 percent owned by Comcast and 49 percent by GE. The deal would give Comcast, the top U.S. cable service provider, control of a major media conglomerate.

Antitrust experts said it could take the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, which reviews broadcast license transfer applications, and Justice Department or Federal Trade Commission, which share the job of antitrust regulation, a year to work out conditions for approval, but they expected the deal to finally get the green light.

"I think it will get to closing. I don't think anybody's going to stop the deal," said antitrust expert John Briggs of the law firm Axinn Veltrop Harkrider LLP.

Public interest groups, nonetheless, have urged the Obama administration to keep its commitment to reinvigorate U.S. antitrust laws by making sure the proposed deal doesn't see the light of day.

[endless october]

1. good.

antitrust comcast before they get bigger.

[Cleita]

2. I hope the deal doesn't go through or we can probably say

good-by to what little truth in reporting that we get in cable news. It will be propaganda 24/7 and any distraction scandal that comes on the radar. I really miss the Canadian cable channel that Al Gore bought out. At least we were getting some news from across the border that our media was ignoring in favor of murdered white girls, adulterous Congressmen and five year old murdered beauty queens.

[SoCalDem]

4. and instead we got teenybopper youtubenews

ICTV was a good channel..

Our Dish plan gives us Deutche-Welle (not as regularly as it used to, though) and an Australian news show Spotlight..and BBC on several times a day on various PBS channels and BBC-America..

I just wish we could have access to CNN-I (which is NOTHING like the putrid CNN WE get)

and i would love to have ALL the BBC channels.

[Fleshdancer]

6. I wish we could get CNN-I too

You know you're a current events geek when you consider CNN-I and BBC World actual perks to international travel.

The only thing I think comes close here is Fareed Zakaria GPS. I wish CNN would give him Lou Dobbs' old time slot, but he's probably not too sensational enough for them.

[SoCalDem]

7. CNN-I was a bright spot when we were in Tahiti

all the other programing was in Tahitian or French :)

I am a night owl, and often needed some TV at 3 am:)

I know...sad.. watching tv in TAHITI:rofl:

[Fleshdancer]

9. BOOOOOO!

:rofl:

Actually, you're talking to a chronic insomniac so I know exactly what you mean. However, don't openly admit that to too many people. :P

[rurallib]

8. If you have DISH you should have FreeSpeechTV channel 9415

if you are not familiar with it, check it out.
Besides DemocracyNow! I recommend GritTV and Fault Lines.

[SoCalDem]

10. I do watch it sometimes, but the production quaility is so bad, I often turn it off

I like the lectures on UCTV and I do watch Laura Flanders.. I guess I am picky in my old age:)

FSTV and Link are the reasons we got Dish instead of the other satellite tv systems..

[rurallib]

14. production value is great on American Idol

and Survivor, but the content reeks.
I go for the content. And I am getting older also, but finally there is some TV worth watching. I don't want to miss it before it goes away.

[SoCalDem]

15. Don't watch Am Idol or Survivor either n/t

[ConsAreLiars]

17. Same reason here.

I actually ordered the Dish installation via the FSTV link and they got whatever fee or kickback went that way after I discovered FSTV via the web.

For those who don't have FSTV via their TV service, it is now broadcasting live on the net as well as offering past programs on demand: http://www.freespeech.org/

[Cleita]

11. We used to get CNN-I and they replaced it with the Headline News channel.

Yes, it was like the old CNN that we remember when Ted Turner was in charge. All I get is BBC America and they have more extensive news coverage than our American channels. I wish I could get the British BBC.

[SoCalDem]

12. I call & ask about once a month..no luck yet

CNN YOOOOO ESSSS AAAAAY has to be behind the exclusion.. Who would watch Wolfie & friends if they could get real news:)

[Fleshdancer]

13. I would LOVE to see Headline news replaced with CNNI

Actual news from around the world instead of the Flaming Nostrils of Justice screaming at the camera every day? This is change I can believe in. :thumbsup:

[ConsAreLiars]

16. In addition to FSTV and LinkTV I've turned to AJE to find anything close to real news.

AJE is available via pre-recorded programs at http://english.aljazeera.net/ or live by installing the Livestation software which also provides feeds from several other countries' TV services, including CNN-I.

[Norrin Radd]

3. Bust the media trusts.

[RKP5637]

5. Eventually we're going to be down to just a couple of media outlets. This county

is becoming dominated by monopolies but none raises their had to stop it... USA, Inc. Corporate donations can buy a lot...