Leahy presses Comcast on paid prioritization deals.
Comcast should pledge it won't enter into any paid prioritization deals, said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. “In a May blog post, you wrote that Comcast does not intend to enter into paid prioritization agreements,” Leahy said in…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
a Monday letter to Comcast Executive Vice President David Cohen (http://1.usa.gov/1CM52R9). “I welcome that assertion, but I remain gravely concerned that if such agreements are permitted, market incentives may drive Comcast and other Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to change that position in the future.” Leahy has introduced legislation that would ban such prioritization deals and has advocated for strong net neutrality rules. Over the past several months, Comcast has said it doesn't create such deals or plan to form them. “As the antitrust regulators continue to evaluate Comcast’s proposed transaction with Time Warner Cable, and regardless of whether it is approved, I ask Comcast to pledge that it will not engage in paid prioritization,” Leahy said. “I also ask that Comcast pledge not to engage in any activity that prioritizes affiliated content or services over unaffiliated content or services, helping to ensure that vertical integration does not threaten competition online.” Comcast is reviewing the letter, a spokeswoman said.