Comcast-Time Warner Deal Critics Ramp Up Opposition

Critics of Comcast’s move to acquire Time Warner Cable renewed calls for federal regulators to kill the deal, saying new net neutrality rules adopted wouldn’t protect consumers from harm. “Higher prices. Fewer choices. Worse customer service. That’s what we’ll end up with if Comcast is allowed to take over Time Warner Cable,” Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports magazine, said in full-page ads that began running in Washington, DC, newspapers on March 2.

The consumer group also launched a radio ad campaign with a 60-second spot on a DC local news radio station. The campaign marks the start of a more concentrated effort on both sides of the deal to influence regulators, who are expected to begin focusing more intensely on reviewing both Comcast’s Time Warner Cable deal and AT&T’s proposed acquisition of DirecTV. Justice Department lawyers have been busy reviewing both deals for months, but senior Federal Communications Commission officials have been spending much of their time recently on net neutrality.