Reprinted from The Hill:
Senator Al Franken
Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) blasted the prospective Comcast-NBC Universal merger and pressed Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan for her views on net neutrality during her confirmation hearing this week.
Kagan declined to weigh in on the pending merger, but said that First Amendment rights should not be used as a kind of free pass when companies are charged with anti-competitive conduct.
“The First Amendment does not provide a general defense to the anti-trust laws,” she told the Senate Judiciary Committee. “In general, the anti-trust laws are the anti-trust laws and they apply to all companies.”
When Franken asked more explicitly about how net neutrality might be legally defended, Kagan declined to take a stance on what she characterized as a policy issue. But she generally supported Franken’s description that free-speech rights promote media diversity.
“One of the purposes of the First Amendment is to ensure a public sphere in which all kinds of thoughts and views can be expressed and we can learn from all of them,” she said.
Franken reinforced the strong stance he took earlier this year in opposition to the merger.
“Comcast is already extremely powerful,” he said. “It’s the nation’s largest cable operator and also the largest home Internet service provider. If it owned both the pipes and the programming it would have the ultimate ability to keep others from publishing.”
He warned that other major Internet service providers may decide to follow the Comcast into the content arena.
“I worry that if Comcast and NBC merge, AT&T and Verizon are going to decide that they have to buy ABC or CBS and that will mean there will be less independent programming, fewer voices, and a smaller marketplace of ideas,” he said.
Franken broached net neutrality during Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation hearings last year as well.
A Saturday Night Live Comedian gets it. What can be so hard? Speaking of SNL, can you imagine what it would end up being if Comcast gets their hands on it?
Black People in opposition to Comcast Cable – Part One. Comcast Cable wants to shut-down Wilmington, Delaware’s Community Television Channel 28 and Channel 190. Black Community leaders and residents speak out against Comcast Cable and the monopoly grip the corporation has on the future of technology in the city. Minority leaders in Wilmington, Delaware verbalize their concern against Comcast Cable during the franchise renewal process. Wilmington, Delaware community leaders want: channels for governmental meetings to be aired, educational channels for the local schools, public channels for the citizens-at-large, continued live leased access television, and fully-staffed production studios that trains people in media making and citizen journalism. Comcast Cable had promised a component of cable television would give citizens access to local television but refused to develop access after they were awarded the city of Wilmington’s franchise agreement. Now the residents are set to drop Comcast Cable as a video service provider during the franchise renewal process. Wilmington residents want local community channels to continue “live” cablecast. Comcast Cable’s franchise expires October 2010. The people own the right-of-ways and the air waves not a corporation or the government. Wilmington’s cable channel 28 was the stepping stone to the political support of current Vice President Joe Biden, who appeared on many local channel 28 television shows to sustain his career.
Comment by Harold B. Pritchett — July 14, 2010 @ 12:31 pm
Harold, we appreciate your comments and for bringing this to our attention. This is not the first time that Comcast has pulled this crap. You should speak with the people in Burlington, VT about their experiences when Comcast withheld funds for their public access stations. Please keep us posted on your progress.
I’m glad to hear that black people are in opposition to Comcast, but the truth of the matter is that so are white people, yellow people, brown people, and even purple people. Comcast is an equal opportunity discriminator. They are colorblind except for the color $$$ GREEN $$$.
We are all brothers in the eyes of The Lord, and we are all consumers to be spat on by Comcast. We can only be effective in fighting this monster if we band together.
Comment by admin — July 19, 2010 @ 12:57 pm