Just two days ago we were discussing T potentially being cited for cornering the cable TV and cable ISP space.
Your reply to was:
"I don't think the government will bother to intervene at this stage. So the merger of RR and ATHM will provide the economics of scale and @Home branding advantage. The advantage far outweigh the risk of government interference."
Today, from the AT&T Thread here in SI:
Message 9344587
An excerpt follows:
--------------
"On Capitol Hill, news of AT&T's latest purchase had lawmakers expressing concerns about the growing concentration of ownership of cable wires that are starting to carry telephone and high-speed Internet service in addition to television programs.
"Senators Mike DeWine, Republican of Ohio, and Herb Kohl, Democrat of Wisconsin, said they would schedule a hearing soon in the Senate Judiciary Committee's antitrust subcommittee.
''We need to closely examine all competitive aspects of this proposal to ensure competition is preserved and consumers are protected,'' the two said in a joint statement, adding the ''jury is still out'' on how the deal will affect the cable market.
"Rep. Billy Tauzin, chairman of the House Commerce Committee's communications subcommittee, has ''serious concerns about the proposed merger'' and the ''concentration of ownership in cable,'' a spokesman for the Louisiana Republican said."
---------------
You may just be proven to be correct, in the end. But, for the moment, I think that there are some clouds forming overhead. We may get an oppotunity to see how well Armstrong can walk between the drops. |
