Free State on FCC Deal Vetting: Stick To Consumer Welfare

The FCC should stick with a consumer cost-benefit analysis when deciding on the Comcast/Time Warner Cable merger, and that analysis will show that no consumer will lose a choice among providers since the two companies do not compete head to head in providing broadband or traditional video programming.  

That was the message from free market think tank The Free State Foundation in comments to the FCC, whose initial comment deadline on the proposed deal is Monday (Aug. 25).  

Free State says it is neither endorsing nor opposing the deal — though it finds a lot to like in the deal and not much arguing against it. Rather, it advises the FCC to stick to an economic impact analysis of whether the deal will hurt or harm consumers. 

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John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.