The proposed acquisition of Time Warner Cable by Comcast is a bad deal for everyone except Comcast and Time Warner Cable shareholders.
1) The agreement will make Comcast the provider of cable service for over 60% of the United States market. This sort of clout would mean a virtual monopoly on cable television in a majority of the country. Back when Theodore Roosevelt was president, he signed the Sherman Anti-Trust Act into law, to break up the railroad monopoly. Since then, the act has been used many times, but in recent times to break up the Bell System and to attempt to stop Microsoft acquisitions of smaller companies. Owning 60% of an industry qualifies easily for enforcement of the act against Comcast.
2) Comcast is known for throttling internet connections for content that does not make special licensing deals with it. For the streaming community, this puts a noose around the neck on whether you can see content at a reasonable rate. Considering we just had an editorial on Senshudo.tv over the poor quality currently coming out of Twitch.tv, this is very concerning. If Twitch.tv makes a secret deal like how Netflix just did today, how will smaller startups be able to compete? Due to their acquisition of NBC Universal, Comcast has to abide by the Open Internet Order, but only until January 2018.
Not only that, however, but think of smaller television channels out there trying to get a foothold into the market. Would a TechTV even have a chance out there if Comcast doesn't decide to pick them up for their channel lineup? Mind you, TechTV was bought by G4...who was owned by NBC Universal, which is now owned by, you guessed it, Comcast.
As Katrina vanden Heuvel said in the Washington Post:
The merger doesn’t just affect the marketplace of cable; it threatens the marketplace of ideas. The protection of free speech under our Constitution depends on citizens having access to many ideas, many sources, many ways of getting ideas and information. Letting mega-corporations consolidate control of key parts of the media infrastructure directly threatens that access.
3) Comcast has the worst customer service of all cable television and internet providers in the country. In fact, in 2010, it was rated the worst company of all in the United States for customer service, not just in internet or cable providers. It came in third in 2012. Time Warner Cable service has been rated low too, but no one can beat Comcast for poor service. Those members of Senshudo.tv who have Comcast have voiced their opinions numerous times about the poor service.
4) Comcast's Foundation is donating a lot of money into districts in order to sway the vote in order to prevent blockage by Congress of the deal. Over $18 million has been spent just this last year alone on lobbying in Congress. For example, according to Opensecrets.org, Comcast donated $4,666 to the chairman of the Energy and Commerce subcommittee, Lee Terry Jr. of Nebraska, who has a district with neither Comcast nor Time Warner Cable. John Boehner, Speaker of the House, got $59,000, Harry Reid received $22,000, and Mitch McConnell got $32,800.
As I believe you can see, I feel this deal between Comcast and Time Warner Cable is bad for consumers, and especially streamers.
For more information:
http://www.freepress.net/blog/2014/02/25/six-myths-about-comcast-time-warner-cable-merger
http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/recips.php?cycle=2014&id=D000000461