Justice Department Will Review Comcast-NBCU Joint Venture: Sources
Comcast Expected To File Paperwork With DOJ Shortly
John Eggerton -- Multichannel News, 1/6/2010 8:11:40 PM
Sources confirm that the Justice Department will review the proposed joint venture between Comcast and NBC Universal.
Justice and the Federal Trade Commission divvy up those reviews, which focus on competition issues. The Federal Communication Commission's review goes beyond that to look at the public-interest implications. of mergers that involve FCC licensees.
Comcast is expected to file its paperwork with Justice any day now, and now won't have to duplicate that effort with a copy to the FTC. It plans to file a public-interest statement and request for transfer of the NBC station licenses by month's end.
Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy, said he was pleased with the choice. "The decision is incredibly good news for the deals opponents," he said. "Under the Obama Administration, the DOJ antitrust division has gathered unusual expertise that will forcefully analyze Comcast's market power in the cable business. We expect that the DOJ will place the deal under an extraordinary and intense regulatory review."
Others have argued it is a vertical deal likely to pass muster, though also likely with some conditions.
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