Comcast/Charter Deal a Dupe, say Critics

Comcast, the cable and internet service giant, is attempting to smooth the road for its mega-merger acquisition of Time-Warner Cable by selling off some its services and assets to the nation’s third-largest cable provider, Charter.

But critics of Monday’s announced deal say neither consumers nor regulators should be fooled by the scheme that will do nothing to improve services or allay concerns about the creation of ever-larger cable corporations.

According to Reuters:

But experts at Free Press, a media watchdog group in Washington DC, however, say the deal is a sham.

“This convoluted transaction may change the final tally of subscribers under the proposed merger, but it can’t change the fact that this deal is a big loss for innovation and competition,” said Matt Wood, the group’s policy director.

“Cable barons have always been great at dividing up the country and refusing to compete with each other. Transforming three giant companies into two behemoths gives no comfort to content providers or consumers. Lawmakers and antitrust authorities shouldn’t be fooled either.”

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