CONDITIONS attached to the merger of Comcast and NBC Universal amount to little more than regulatory applique, decorative touches added by the Federal Communications Commission.
The FCC's 4-1 approval of the merger is a grim benchmark for what comes next. For starters, the merger ends any hope the Obama administration and FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski will push back on media consolidation -- the concentration of radio stations, newspapers and broadcast outlets into a few corporate hands.
The rules put on the merger by the FCC recognizes the slippery slope ahead. The guidelines, in place for a fleeting seven years, are supposed to reassure the competition that Comcast will give other cable providers and broadband Internet providers equal access to NBC content.
Commissioner Michael J. Copps, the dissenting vote, understands the commission's action puts "too much power in one company's hands."
Copps drilled into the heart of the consolidation issue:
"The Comcast-NBCU joint venture opens the door to the cable-ization of the open Internet. The potential for walled gardens, toll booths, content prioritization, access fees to reach end users, and a stake in the heart of independent content production is now very real."
Along with the FCC vote, the Justice Department signed off on the merger and raised eyebrows about the scant attention paid to decades of antitrust regulation.
No one should expect bills to go down or service and access to improve with this merger. This corporate union was fueled in part by ever-changing viewer habits. Online video is soaring, and that means fewer viewers for cable shows and advertising. The temporary rules are meant to prevent consumer-access issues that loom. Remember, the veneer of protection goes away.
Copps even foresees problems with over-the-air access to public television signals, and the potential for those public stations that decide to go with cable distribution getting squeezed out by more-lucrative programming.
Too much power in too few hands is trouble for consumers. Media, broadcast and broadband are not immune.
Copyright (c) 2011 Seattle Times Company, All Rights Reserved.
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