(Al) Franken wants antitrust probe of Comcast

[unhappycamper]

Franken wants antitrust probe of Comcast
By Gautham Nagesh - 11/22/10 04:10 PM ET

Comcast's announcement of a new management team for NBC Universal may have been an illegal attempt to exert control over the company before the government has completed its antitrust review, according to Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.).

In a letter Monday to Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Christine Varney, Franken asked for an investigation.

"Comcast has every right to promote its business and this merger," wrote Franken, a former performer for NBC's "Saturday Night Live."

"It does not have the right to effect that merger absent explicit federal approval, or indirectly control or influence NBC Universal until that approval is granted. I urge you to investigate this conduct."

Franken suggested Comcast's announcement last Wednesday may have been a violation of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, which bans merging companies from transferring control before the government's review is complete.

[leveymg]

1. Or, stop the merger and order big media to be broken up. It worked with telcos, and it should be

done with broadcast and cable media.

[onenote]

2. the difference is that there was only one telco

The Comcast/NBCU merger should be reviewed and only approved subject to conditions. But its not helpful to compare NBCU/Comcast, which is a horizontal merger of entities that are not monopolists themselves to ATT prior to the modified final judgment that broke up a monopolist local telephone company into separate regional monopolies (at least until the cable companies finally started providing some competition for local voice service).