This really stinks. Just suffered through a transition to TWc from insightbb. Haven't been happy with the way twc operates. I can't imagine one mega cable company.
Comcast Acquiring Time Warner Cable In All Stock Deal Worth $45.2 Billion
211–220 of 332 posts
Re: Comcast Acquiring Time Warner Cable In All Stock Deal Worth $45.2 Billion
#212I can't wait until we finally get around to relegating broadband providers as common carriers. At the very least, we need a broadband version of Glass-Steagall, which forces ISPs, cable companies, and content providers to be separate entities. The current situation is laughably awful for consumers. I can't imagine a single informed customer actually supporting the status quo.
Not going to happen: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Cable_%26_Telecommunic... Just wait till Aereo gets screwed in their Supreme Court case. Then we really will be. In fact no matter which way they rule in Aereo's case we are screwed. If they rule in favor of Aereo the content companies (Comcast owns NBC) will just start taking content "cable only".
Surely that would trigger a Sherman prosecution.
Re: Comcast Acquiring Time Warner Cable In All Stock Deal Worth $45.2 Billion
#213If this merger goes thru, (and the AnitTrust people would have to be really asleep at the wheel for that) two things are certain: 1) Americans can expect some of the worst Cable price gouging they have ever seen 2) NetFlix, Amazon Prime et al will become really popular as a result of all the customers saying "FU ComcastWarner"
>the AnitTrust people would have to be really asleep at the wheel for that Call me a pessimist but I think this will go through. Why? The lobbyists already sounded out (lobbied/paid-off/promised-job-in-future) enough people in govt to feel that this will go through, or at least there is enough chance of it happening. I bet this will go through, especially using the point that they don't compete against each other (wh…
> The lobbyists already sounded out (lobbied/paid-off/promised-job-in-future) enough people in govt to feel that this will go through, or at least there is enough chance of it happening.
I don't think that follows. AT&T / TMobile gave it a shot a couple years ago, and that was shot down.
Re: Comcast Acquiring Time Warner Cable In All Stock Deal Worth $45.2 Billion
#214Aren't there antitrust laws to protect against this exact sort of thing?
It doesn't violate anti-trust laws to buy another company you do not compete with. And there are very few, if any, territories where Comcast and TWC directly compete at present – depending on where you live, you can subscribe to one or the other (or some other cable company), but not both.
but... they only don't compete because of govt sanctioned monopoly status in the first place, no?
Re: Comcast Acquiring Time Warner Cable In All Stock Deal Worth $45.2 Billion
#215Since Time Warner was rumored to be the partner of AppleTV TV content, ponders how this deal affects that. Was it a plan to stop that Apple deal to happen or will they benefit from that?
Ponders if this will pass the antitrust authorithy
Re: Comcast Acquiring Time Warner Cable In All Stock Deal Worth $45.2 Billion
#216I really, really want the regulators to stop this, but most people only have the choice of a single cable provider anyway. Where in the US do Comcast and Time Warner compete head-to-head? It feels as though they have divided up the country similarly to how the baby bells were after AT&T was broken up in 1984.
Re: Comcast Acquiring Time Warner Cable In All Stock Deal Worth $45.2 Billion
#217Google please buy Verizon FIOs and all other fiber ISPs! Building out your own ISP is going to take decades.
A national Google Fiber is needed more then ever with this potential merger and Net Neutrality being struck down.
Re: Comcast Acquiring Time Warner Cable In All Stock Deal Worth $45.2 Billion
#218I must talk to all my libertarian friends now. I need to get explanation what free market means when right now my only options for network would be one ISP.
This has nothing to do with the free market. Both companies are government granted "natural" monopolies.
Huh? How is it something that the government granted?
Re: Comcast Acquiring Time Warner Cable In All Stock Deal Worth $45.2 Billion
#219Earlier quoted context omitted.
Google has threatened to go nuclear over net neutrality and open up their dark fiber network should things get ugly. Google has more fiber than most any one single company in the us and could be a legitimate threat should comwarner try to call their bluff. I have a feeling google would win that fight
Citation? There is no use for Google to participate in long-haul wholesale. There is a lot of supply there. The real issue is last mile, where consumers have no choice.
>There is a lot of supply there.
But the rules just changed. It remains to be seen what those guys will do. But I agree that the last-mile competition, or lack of it is far more important.
Re: Comcast Acquiring Time Warner Cable In All Stock Deal Worth $45.2 Billion
#220Earlier quoted context omitted.
> 2) NetFlix, Amazon Prime et al will become really popular as a result of all the customers saying "FU ComcastWarner" I agree with your first point, but your second point doesn't follow. If anything, Comcast will price gouge Netflix out of business, and we'll be back to being stuck watching their awful "On Demand" instead. They can do this, because Comcast owns the content (NBC), the delivery mechanism for said cont…
And how would this 'FU ComcastWarner' work in America? Anywhere you live you only have the choice of paying your cable provider, your telephone carrier or your wireless carrier for internet. - DSL infrastructure hasn't evolved in a decade or more. You're lucky to get mid-single digit megabits/sec. I had 0.7 mpbs offered to me in Mountain View by at&t. - Cable is the only speedy one, but they can price gouge you, limi…
We could all pressure our local governments to provide municipal internet. Many cities have already created services that are much faster too.