FCC Shouldn't Consider Comcast/TWC Harms That Aren't Transaction Specific, Comcast Says
The FCC should scrutinize whether “claimed harms” of Comcast's planned buy of Time Warner Cable are deal-specific, Comcast Executive Vice President David Cohen told Hillary Burchuk of the FCC’s transaction review team and Chairman Tom Wheeler’s aide Maria Kirby in…
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a meeting Wednesday, said an ex parte filing posted in docket 14-57 Monday. The FCC should “rigorously” filter out non-transaction specific objections to the deal, “whatever their merits,” Comcast said. “The Commission should take into account the motives underlying opponents’ proposals and suggested conditions, because motives can inform credibility,” said Comcast. The FCC should not use a 25 Mbps download speed threshold “for purposes of analyzing the competitive effects of this Transaction,” said the cable ISP. The commission’s new definition of broadband is “not designed or intended to be a market definition but rather is a future-oriented and aspirational policy,” Comcast said.