Comcast 'Thumb[ing] Its Nose' at FCC, Entertainment Studios Says
Comcast's response to Entertainment Studios' complaint against the cable company "is absolute proof that the FCC must stand up and prove to the world that they are doing what is in the public's best interest" by forcing Comcast to document…
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its compliance with its voluntary commitment in the NBCUniversal takeover approval process to add independently owned and operated programmers in which African-Americans have a majority or sizable ownership interest, Entertainment Studios emailed various FCC staff including Media Bureau Chief Bill Lake. According to the email -- included in an ex parte filing Monday in docket 10-56 -- Comcast's opposition (see 1604050018) to the Entertainment Studios/National Association of African American Owned Media petition for an FCC investigation of the cable company (see 1603280030) is an example of Comcast "thumb[ing] its nose at its existing merger condition regarding independent, diverse programming." Entertainment Studios also reiterated its claim that Comcast's "white executives are not used to an African American man holding them accountable." In its email, Entertainment Studios noted "Comcast has not executed on the commitments, nor have the FCC enforced the provisions," and compared the agency to the SEC, saying "the same malpractice of a major regulatory agency refusing to do its job lead [sic] to the crash of the world economy." Comcast didn't comment.