Comcast's Roberts Meets Wheeler, Other FCC Officials on Planned Buy of TWC
CEO Brian Roberts and other Comcast executives made the case for the company's planned buy of Time Warner Cable to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, saying the approximately $66 billion deal won't hurt broadband competition and the cable operator backs "robust,…
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enforceable, industry-wide net neutrality rules." So said an ex parte filing posted Thursday in docket 14-57 on a meeting that also included Comcast Executive Vice President David Cohen, FCC General Counsel Jonathan Sallet and others. On President Barack Obama's recent support for Title II Communications Act reclassification of broadband, "Comcast is on record as agreeing with every substantive point the President outlined -- a free and open Internet, no blocking, no throttling, increased transparency, non-discrimination rules, and no paid prioritization," the company said. With "much agreement on what the new rules should address" on net neutrality, Comcast said, "there is no upside to be gained from heavy-handed regulation associated with Title II reclassification, only substantial risk of harm. Such harm would be exacerbated to the extent the FCC’s going forward plan includes a Title II approach without broad-based forbearance."