ACA Beefs Up For Battle With Comcast/NBCU

Creating list of competitive harms ACA sees coming out of deal

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 2/1/2010 6:05:25 PM

The American Cable Association (ACA) is beefing up its legal and economic expertise as it prepares a challenge to the Comcast/NBCU merger, according to the association.

ACA, which represents small and midsized cable operators, has tapped Thomas Cohen, partner in law firm Kelley Drye
to prepare testimony and come up with a list of the competitive harms ACA sees coming out of a the transaction as currently constituted.

To make ACA's case that the deal gives the combined company--Comcast is the nation's largest cable operator--undue marketplace dominance over smaller operators, the organization has also enlisted former FCC chief economist William Rogerson.

"ACA has retained these talented individuals to assist us in making our strongest possible case against the Comcast-NBCU said ACA President Matt Polka in announcing the new team.

Hearings on the deal start this week in the House and Senate. The companies last week filed with the Justice Department (antitrust review) and the FCC (public interest review) for approval of the $30 billion meld.