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Comcast and TWC Will Negotiate With Officials To Save Their Merger

An anonymous reader writes with news about Comcast and Time Warner Cable's attempt to keep their proposed merger alive. "Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Cable Inc. are slated to sit down for the first time on Wednesday with Justice Department officials to discuss potential remedies in hopes of keeping their $45.2 billion merger on track, according to people familiar with the matter. The parties haven't met face-to-face to hash out possible concessions in the more than 14 months since the deal was announced. Staffers at both the Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission remain concerned a combined company would wield too much power in the broadband Internet market and give it unfair competitive leverage against TV channel owners and new market entrants that offer video programming online, said people with knowledge of the review."

13 of 101 comments (clear)

  1. And by negotiate ... by gstoddart · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Do we mean "bribery" or "campaign contributions"?

    This just sounds like a company trying to ensure it gets to have its monopoly and eat our cake too.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    1. Re:And by negotiate ... by NotDrWho · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "bribery" or "campaign contributions"?

      There's a difference?

      --
      SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
    2. Re:And by negotiate ... by Adriax · · Score: 4, Funny

      Depends on the cleanliness of the bathroom stall the cash is slipped under.

      --
      I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!
    3. Re: And by negotiate ... by jd2112 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If you or I do it, it's bribery. If a corporation does it, it's lobbying.

      --
      Any insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
    4. Re:And by negotiate ... by bondsbw · · Score: 4, Funny

      "bribery" or "campaign contributions"?

      There's a difference?

      Of course there is. All campaign contributions are bribery, but only some bribes are campaign contributions.

      --
      All my liberal friends think I'm a conservative, all my conservative friends think I'm a liberal.
  2. How about... by TWX · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...they be denied the right to merge until they've satisfied all lack-of-service complaints within their respective monopolistic areas, fixed their customer service so that it's not abusive, and stop charging exorbitant amounts of money to customers for equipment that they've already depreciated for tax purposes?

    Oh, who am I kidding?

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    1. Re:How about... by gstoddart · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Bah, the entire purpose for the merger is to be able to do this crap on a larger scale.

      They don't give a crap about customers, they care about corporate profits, executive bonuses, and the price of cocaine and hookers.

      They want to give worse service, and charge even more for it. With even more customers they can sit on their infrastructure for even longer without upgrading it, all while claiming to have cutting edge service.

      Why do you hate America?

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    2. Re: How about... by jd2112 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      If you are going to dream, dream big. Require them to open up to open their networks to competition!

      --
      Any insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
    3. Re:How about... by Jason+Levine · · Score: 4, Funny

      There are so many times when I wish "Shibboleet" were a real thing.

      --
      My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
    4. Re:How about... by cyberchondriac · · Score: 4, Interesting

      This is true. My in-laws told me they would call Comcast when they had a problem like getting Word to come up on their laptop, my jaw dropped. I have no love for Comcast, but I told them comcrap has nothing to do with an issue like that and to stop abusing their service contract. Older people (60+) seem to have the hardest time grasping the the difference between the concept of the Internet and a local hard drive.. no matter how many times you explain it.

      --

      Look back up at my post, now look back down, you're on the Internet. Now look back up. I'm a signature.
  3. Since they get to meet w/ the DoJ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Does that mean that concerned citizens will also have an opportunity to sit down with the Department of Justice and express their concerns against this merger?

    Seems only fair...

  4. As an executive, maybe i can elaborate. by nimbius · · Score: 5, Funny

    To the good-willed officials who find themselves obstructing our annealing:
    By now you no doubt know the awakening, or as you put it the 'merger,' is taking place and there is very little you can do to stop this. Having awakened Cablor, our dead god of a thousand bits per second, with your senseless supplication of the common carrier ritual, we have finally unlocked the 6th chevron of the rune of bundling. When as you no doubt observed the moon eclipsed the sun for its final time, and all stars fell from the heavens in a plague of fire, we were absolute in our resolution to ensure "competitiveness" and "fairness" in our merger as is conforming to the will of the dark demon Abyzou. The flesh, as is noted in subsection 35 chapter 15 of page 666, will be peeled from the bone of so much sorrow and into the pile of meat will the hellmouth feast. However, you've failed to understand that we are acting in good faith, and will continue to offer Comcastic experience, and excellent service. It is our sincerest hope you understand our unstoppable union into a single beast, the beast of Motaja Amoi, will help customers to experience 1080p entertainment and phone service like never before, as well as witness the crown upon bone, and skeleton of dead lords upon throne. In conclusion, we hope you reconsider your futile, child-like attempt to control that which you can never understand.

    Of darkness and desapair,
    Belphegor,
    seductive demon of greed and ruin
    Senior Financial Analyst

    --
    Good people go to bed earlier.
  5. Re:TWC by Holi · · Score: 4, Funny

    Your inability to understand context must make life very difficult.

    --
    Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.