The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in the Verizon-Cable Pact

[Commentary] The approval of the Verizon-SpectrumCo deal by the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission signals dark days ahead for consumers.

At Free Press, we believe vigorous competition is the best way to compel companies to lower prices, invest in higher quality offerings, and pay close attention to customer satisfaction. Unfortunately, the market for high-speed mobile and at-home broadband service looks nothing like that. Where there was once a glimmer of hope for competition between cable and phone companies, we now see Verizon and the cable companies dividing up the market. Where once Verizon's FiOS service was going head-to-head Comcast Xfinity, we now have former rivals signing up their own customers for their competitors. Consumers would be far better off if this union had never been proposed. Congress and the FCC need to confront the looming monopoly environment most consumers now face for broadband service. If they don't reverse course and start dealing with the reality they've created.