Size Limits for Cable Look Likely

SIZE LIMITS LIKELY FOR CABLE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Stephen Labaton]
Coming off a setback at the hands of the cable television industry, the head of the Federal Communications Commission moved to reassert himself on Wednesday by proposing that the commission quickly adopt a rule that would prevent Comcast, the nation’s biggest cable company, from becoming larger. The cable plan, paired with a plan to allow waivers needed to complete the Tribune Company sale, reflects FCC Chairman Kevin Martin's attempt to navigate a series of politically difficult proposals through a deeply divided commission. He is trying to strike alliances with the two Democratic commissioners on some issues and the two Republicans on others. The outcome will most likely determine for many years the rules governing the reach of the nation’s largest media conglomerates. In the process, Chairman Martin has alienated powerful and politically connected executives from the cable TV industry, who have complained to the White House that his policies are inconsistent with the broader deregulatory agenda of the Bush administration. From the other side, he has been criticized by Democratic lawmakers about his efforts to loosen the restrictions on owning differing types of media properties in the same city.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/29/business/media/29cable.html?ref=todays...
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* The next cable data war
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