Comcast-NBCU: Comcast Expected to Submit Joint Venture Proposal Within Month

Justice Dept. and FTC would then begin antitrust vetting

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/4/2009 12:51:28 PM

Comcast-NBCU: Complete Coverage

Look for Comcast to submit the NBCU joint venture proposal to the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission for antitrust vetting within about a month, according to a Comcast spokesperson, with the same timetable for the FCC.

The commission's consideration of the deal extends to public interest concerns, so Comcast must submit a public interest statement with its request for transfer of the NBC station licenses.

Comcast Executive VP David Cohen says he believes the up-front commitments the company has already made address "a number of valid issues we thought could appropriately be asserted about the transaction." They include expanding over-the-air programming to Hispanics, expanding kids programming and content controls and extending program access requirements to retransmission consent.

But he also said he thought existing laws and regulations "are more than ample to protect the public in connection with any additional risks that might be presented by this transaction," which he said does not increase media concentration or create additional incentives to discriminate.