DOJ Could stop Comcast-Time Warner Merger for violating anti-trust laws

[Syntaxvgm]

Saw this on bloomberg today

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-17/u-s-antitrust-lawyers-said-to-be-leaning-against-comcast-merger

Staff attorneys at the U.S. Justice Department’s antitrust division are nearing a recommendation to block Comcast Corp.’s bid to buy Time Warner Cable Inc., according to people familiar with the matter.

 

 

Attorneys who are investigating Comcast’s $45.2 billion proposal to create a nationwide cable giant are leaning against the merger out of concern that consumers would be harmed and could submit their review as soon as next week, said the people. The division’s senior officials will then decide whether to file a federal lawsuit seeking to block the tie-up.

I can't help but look at this negatively.

Just because the merger may stop, it doesn't mean there will be real competition, we'll just be back to that status quo really, nothing will change.

Either way, we have some crappy ass internet options.

The main legal argument may come from the trend of getting so much traditional television content online, letting Comcast, owners of NBC, control so much of the internet offerings that compete with traditional television, may not be a good thing, as they will try their hardest to stifle this competition.

[NAP51DMustang]

iirc if comcast and TW merged it would mean something like 70% of the US's internet service would come from the resulting company. if that doesn't throw up red flags (even if the companies were both actually good companies, which we know they aren't) I don't know what would.

[Syntaxvgm]

iirc if comcast and TW merged it would mean something like 70% of the US's internet service would come from the resulting company. if that doesn't throw up red flags (even if the companies were both actually good companies, which we know they aren't) I don't know what would.

The internet is a series of monopolized tubes.

[mikeeginger]

Doesnt the DOJ just need to look at public files to stop them>?

eg Leaked email saying that the millions of dollers that they got for upgrades were

not going to be used for said upgrades "We have no planes to upgrade" How does this not breach anti trust laws>?

[Trik'Stari]

Consumers are already being harmed by these ridiculous corporations. This is just the DOJ saying "you could make some more campaign contributions" etc.

[KickinGravy]

The internet is a series of monopolized tubes.

I Agree, ISP's in the US are just mini monopolies. Time Warner and Cox Cable on the West Coast. Verizon and Comcast on the East, its like the boards of the company's all get together and mark out on a map where they will operate, like the 5 mafia families of NY and NJ.  

[Trik'Stari]

I Agree, ISP's in the US are just mini monopolies. Time Warner and Cox Cable on the West Coast. Verizon and Comcast on the East, its like the boards of the company's all get together and mark out on a map where they will operate, like the 5 mafia families of NY and NJ.  

This is exactly what happens. It's called an Oligopoly.

[dlf]

Guess it's good that the DOJ & FCC are putting their foot down.