Comcast Replies to NBCU Comments

As the flood of comments regarding its proposed joint venture with NBC
Universal came to a close, Comcast issued its reply late Thursday,
adding that despite some opposition, the combination serves the public
interest.

Today was the final day for companies to file formal pleas
with the Federal Communications Commission regarding the joint venture.
The American Cable Association and DirecTV each filed comments under the deadline today, proposing conditions on the transaction.

But
despite some opposition, Comcast said that the "myriad public interest
benefits including concrete, verifiable public interest commitments -
outweigh any potential transaction-specific harms."

In an 88-page
document, Comcast refuted each of the criticisms of the JV - ranging
from higher prices for broadcast channels to restricted program access.

In a blog posting on Comcast Voices,
Comcast executive vice president David Cohen noted that counter to the
criticism of the deal, more that 1,000 comments supportive of the
venture have been filed.

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