Clyburn, Blumenthal Push for Extending Comcast/NBCU Conditions
The FCC should extend Comcast/NBCUniversal conditions or impose new ones that reflect the current market, or at least strengthen program access rules, Commissioner Mignon Clyburn and Senate Consumer Protection Subcommittee ranking member Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., co-wrote Monday on Bloomberg's website.…
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They said DOJ should investigate anticompetitive threats posed by Comcast/NBCU. Justice and the FCC didn't comment. Clyburn and Blumenthal said Comcast has a history of violating conditions of its NBCU approval, noting the company was forced to extend its unbundled broadband offering to a fourth year and criticisms over cable channel placement of competitor Bloomberg (see 1206280043). Comcast said the FCC conditions expired and there's "no credible basis" for extending or modifying the consent decree or conditions. "For seven years during a time of rapid change in the video and broadband markets, Comcast met or exceeded all of the commitments and obligations under the deal," it said, saying none of its six annual reports to the FCC detailing its compliance track record was ever challenged or objected to. Clyburn has criticized the end of conditions on the deal (see 1801220030).