NBCU Resubmits Info to FCC

Vetting of proposed Comcast joint venture should resume

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 7/6/2010 5:08:02 PM

A company spokesman confirms that NBCU Tuesday re-submitted information to the FCC in the commission's review of the proposed Comcast joint venture, which means the clock should be re-starting on the FCC's vetting of the deal.

The FCC on June 24 asked both NBCU and Comcast to resubmit their information after it concluded the first answers were incomplete. It also said it was stopping the informal 180-day shot clock on completing its review of the deal, backdated to June 11 (the due date of the original information) until it got the answers it was looking for. Comcast complied last week.

The FCC was seeking a raft of information on everything from a corporate organizational chart to the last four years' worth of contracts for online and on-air video distribution as well as descriptions of negotiations that did not result in deals. Such a request is not unusual, and in fact a Comcast source said it was a hopeful sign that the data request came relatively early in the process (the FCC began reviewing the deal March 18).

An FCC spokesperson confirmed receipt.