Free State on FCC Deal Vetting: Stick To Consumer Welfare

The Federal Communications Commission should stick with a consumer cost-benefit analysis when deciding on the Comcast/Time Warner Cable merger, and that analysis will show that no consumer will lose a choice among providers since the two companies do not compete head to head in providing broadband or traditional video programming. That was the message from free market think tank The Free State Foundation in comments to the FCC. Free State says it is neither endorsing nor opposing the deal — though it finds a lot to like in the deal and not much arguing against it. Rather, it advises the FCC to stick to an economic impact analysis of whether the deal will hurt or harm consumers. That, says the group, means the FCC "must disregard pleas for it to reject Comcast/TWC out of hand based on appeals to emotional incredulity or irrelevant "big is bad" sloganeering."