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Earlier this week the government approved the super-sized deal allowing Comcast, which is already both the country’s largest cable television company and Internet service provider, to purchase control of NBC Universal and its huge stable of media properties. At Consumers Union, publisher of this blog, we made it clear that our first choice was for the Federal Communications Commission or the Department of Justice to reject this deal. Once it was clear the deal was going to be approved, we said the approval needed to include strong and enforceable conditions to help ensure Comcast would be firmly discouraged from engaging in anti-competitive, anti-consumer behavior.

Categories: Cable & Satellite, TV & Radio
Tags: Children's Programming, Comcast, Federal Communications Commission, High Speed Internet, NBC, Network Neutrality, Online Video

WASHINGTON, D.C, January 18, 2011 — As federal regulators today moved toward approval of Comcast’s acquisition of NBC Universal, Consumers Union (CU), the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, and Consumer Federation of America (CFA) said the approval is coming with some real strings attached. CU and CFA had expressed objections to combining the nation’s largest broadband and cable provider with one of the largest content owners, concerned that a combination this large could constrict competition and choice, and lead to higher cable and broadband prices for consumers.

Categories: Cable & Satellite, Internet, Phone, TV & Radio
Tags: Broadband, Cable Rates, Comcast, High Speed Internet, NBC

WASHINGTON, D.C., December 23, 2010 – Parul P. Desai, policy counsel for Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, made the following statement today as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) circulates an order among the commissioners to approve Comcast’s proposed buyout of NBC Universal with certain conditions.

Categories: Cable & Satellite, Internet, Phone, TV & Radio
Tags: Broadband, Cable Rates, Comcast, competition, Federal Communications Commission, Internet, NBC, Online Video, Regulation

WASHINGTON, D.C. December 21, 2010 — As the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today prepared to approve new rules for network neutrality, Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, called on federal regulators to apply the principles of the rules in their review of cable giant Comcast’s proposed buyout of the NBC Universal programming empire.

Categories: Cable & Satellite, Internet, Phone, TV & Radio
Tags: Comcast, competition, Federal Communications Commission, Internet, ISP, NBC, Network Neutrality

Sen. Bernie Sanders has posted a video in opposition to Comcast’s pending takeover of NBC Universal. The lawmaker from Vermont is deeply concerned about the deal which would give the country’s biggest cable provider control of one of the nation’s premier entertainment and information providers.

Categories: Cable & Satellite, TV & Radio
Tags: Comcast, NBC, video

WASHINGTON, D.C, November 30, 2010. — Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports and this blog, is stepping up its effort to urge federal regulators to reject Comcast’s bid to buy NBC Universal. The campaign is the latest effort by Consumers Union against the combination of Comcast, the nation’s largest provider of cable TV and residential broadband Internet service, and the NBC programming empire. The print and online ads point readers to a web site – SayNoToComcastNBC.org – where they can write the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) about the proposed deal.

Categories: Cable & Satellite, TV & Radio
Tags: Comcast, competition, NBC

Should Comcast get control of NBC, it could and likely would try to move Sunday Night Football off free broadcast television or even basic cable. Don’t think so? That’s exactly what happened to the groundbreaking Monday Night Football broadcast in 2005. After 35 years of revolutionizing televised NFL football, MNF was shifted from ABC to the ESPN cable network – lock, stock and Hank Williams Jr. Want to tell the FCC you are against the Comcast takeover of NBC? Just click here.

Categories: Cable & Satellite, TV & Radio
Tags: Comcast, Federal Communications Commission, NBC, nfl

Lawmakers in Washington will hopefully be asking a lot of tough questions when executives from Comcast and NBC-Universal come before them today to discuss their proposed merger. Like most everyone without direct ties to Comcast, Consumers Union think the proposed marriage of the country’s largest cable company and the multi-tentacled NBC-Universal media empire is a truly lousy deal for consumers.

Categories: Cable & Satellite, TV & Radio
Tags: Cable Rates, Comcast, NBC, Network Neutrality

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, February 3, 2010, Washington, DC— The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust and the House Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet will hold separate hearings on Thursday, February 4, about the proposed sale of NBC-Universal to Comcast, Corp. Here’s why Consumers Union thinks the proposed merger is a bad deal for consumers.

Categories: Cable & Satellite, Internet, Phone, TV & Radio
Tags: Broadband, Cable Rates, Comcast, competition, Consumer, Federal Communications Commission, High Speed Internet, NBC, Network Neutrality

A broad group of industry, labor and public interest organizations, including Consumers Union, have written to the White House and Congress with deep concerns about Comcast’s proposed acquisition of NBC-Universal.

Categories: Cable & Satellite, TV & Radio
Tags: Comcast, competition, Congress, NBC, White House