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big story today Comcast buying time warner
cable now these are the two largest cable companies out there
in fact it would be a 45-point to
billion dollar deal they would have a combined 33 million subscribers which is
a giant number they would dominate
in markets like New York Los Angeles Philadelphia et cetera
that's so many subscribers and that company would be so large
and have so much leverage that they said well we'll voluntarily get rid of those
the
at least 3 million other subscribers get it down to thirty million
I just so that the government will approve this because they know the
government's going to have an issue with it now let the government's largely run
by corporations so
I can't imagine any merger that they wouldn't approve a but this one is so
gigantic
have led I mean boy
if they approve the exit just means that said there's no regulation left at all
in the country right
now I of course comcast has see that way
they feel that that this would be good for the customer
well go force alright first
they say this Comcast and Time Warner Cable compete in very few markets
as a result few consumers will see their choice of cable operators reduce
now this is true in a very ironic way
so Comcast for examples in Philadelphia in Time Warner Cable's in New York
are the problem is they already have monopolies in those markets yes they
don't compete in those markets anyway
cuz almost nobody competes in those markets so if you're
in Los Angeles as we are you want to get some cable that isn't DirecTV or dish or
whatever but actual cable
outside time-warner good luck to you brother doesn't exist
okay so now likely there's some competition in on the Internet it said
around different kinds of services
which of course they're looking to either buy or crush so I know the
corporations what that's what they do this while of different things
but if you have a monopoly well then though consumers don't have very much
choice at all
and a lot of people are frustrated at the local level on it
but there's a second part of this that they're not talking very much about
that's actually more important
you have to understand the way television works if you're
are cable company right and you cross Comcast
if they buy time-warner cable as well come is already number one in Time
Warner Cable's number two
to lose the merger number one and number two okay if you cross them
for whatever reason it could be a political reason it could be a business
reason et cetera
all sorry we just took you out of 30 million homes in america
as a cable company you probably could not survive a blow
so then that gives Comcast in gigantic
amount of power and leverage over what goes on
television period so that's the real monopoly problem
not whether they're competing a local markets because we already lost that
issue a long time ago yes you already have the monopoly in the local markets
having a monopoly over what goes on air
well that's a different kinda probs now of course like I said that Comcast is
leadership doesn't see it that way their CEO Brian Roberts says
it's a really special transaction will that I agree with
for both time warner cable and for Comcast for shareholders employees are
mostly for our customers
in okay the deal is pro-competitive pro-consumer
we're going to be able to bring better products faster internet more channels
on-demand TV everywhere and the National local pop platform that's really special
so optimistic that we can get this approved okay
Palace gonna be special to them they say they gonna save about one half billion
dollars in
costs when they merge the two things that me some people are gonna get fired
obviously there's going to be some overlap in
maybe some synergies and I understand the business trip reasons behind it
and look undersell the comp inside Time Warner Cable already
got separated from Time Warner so they don't own CNN
HBO by Warner Brothers et cetera so it's not like CNN MSNBC are going to be under
the
same label now but remember Comcast already bought NBC so
not only do they have the pipes but they have a lot of the content and to be fair
they have MSNBC so even though Comcast like many multinational corporations
with shareholders from all over the world
are in favor open more conservative ideology meaning lower taxes on
themselves less regulation
on themselves et cetera they do on a property like MSNBC which
it is at least on the democratic side of things if not on the
progressive side of things so it's not to say that
all content will be crushed and that monopoly will run roughshod it does not
to say that that company
won't have good products out there but
it is of course appoint a concern when anyone
accumulates this kinda power because it is
is not just for political reasons but look they say you'll have a really fast
go connections well you will if you're using
their company systems but for example let's say they have a system is going to
compete with Netflix a cup or the company that compete with Netflix
well would help them if they slow down Netflix
or all the sudden you know the ip resemble in in a issue the internet
thats enormous that's why net neutrality so important
and rising there's reports out is already doing that they're slowing down
Netflix
but what Netflix want a new cable station I don't know I don't know if
they do but is that many other examples that you can use
in the cable TV context and Comcast things well I don't
there my competition right or charter which was saying you're buying time
warner's a competitive Comcast lets say they buy
ABC and the Comcast things well
if they on ABC and ESPN how about I take away a span from thirty million homes
there might be some ramifications that right and the
watchers might object so yes there are a lot of different influences
but overall you giving one company giant power over what goes on TV
and when you do that it's a recipe for disaster
Amin all the media consolidation that started after
I the clinton administration deregulated the media companies
they told us wouldn't be a problem at all and what happened
almost all you know different points of view were driven from TV
well and that's why we're on the internet now quite the most that they
allow poor
is a pro-democratic channel like MSNBC
right but they're still within the establishment as I well know
but 8 I was literally told that firsthand there within the establishment
so yes you could tell that represents Democratic Party and obviously boxes
represent the Republican Party
but overall if you have a different point of view
it is very hard to break into anything on television
that's because those giant corporations don't profit of all your different point
of view
but they might lose money or over here different point of view
thats wat one of many reasons when you have an Occupy movement
all the sudden a lot of the coverage on that is very direct sieve
and so saying hey you know what is a legitimate like the Tea Party is
and something that we should pay attention to and respect
not the kind I respect gonna get when giant conglomerates
run your media