Washington – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on
Monday requested additional information from both Comcast (NASD: CMCSA) and NBC Universal (NYSE: GE)
related to the potential impact of their proposed merger agreement. The FCC’s
questions show the agency is interested in how the proposed $13.75 billion
merger will affect online video distribution.
Comcast was asked to provide
copies of distribution agreements for its cable channels — which include E!
and The Golf Channel — to rivals like Time Warner Cable and DirecTV, while NBC
must submit distribution contracts for its cable networks.
The companies were
also asked to provide details on the annual revenue generated from the top 20
advertisers on each of their respective networks.
Comcast was asked to
detail operations of its managed services, like video-on-demand and
pay-per-view, and its dealings with rival managed service providers.
The FCC
gave Comcast and NBC Universal until Oct. 18 to respond to its new questions.
The
new questions will not "stop the clock" on the agency’s review, which
Comcast has previously said it expects to be completed by year’s end.
Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/27rbf6d
(Washington Post)
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/posttech/comcast.doc
(PDF)
Are we seeing the government attempt to take over video distribution or are they ensuring that there’s freedom of speech?
–Kim
Halloween Costumes
Sounds dangerous to me.