Media Monsters Threaten Net Neutrality

Laura Flanders @ GritTV - Comcast, the nation’s biggest cable and broadband Internet company, has plans to take over NBC Universal.

The result would be a new kind of media monster that would not only produce some of America’s most popular entertainment but also control viewers’ access to it.

Under the deal, which has been in the works for months, Comcast would pay $6.5 billion in cash up front and contribute $7.25 billion in cable assets to acquire a 51 percent stake in NBC Universal from its current owner, General Electric. Comcast would control the joint venture’s day-to-day operations but Pentagon contractor GE would retain a 49 percent stake.

The likely impact on consumer choices? Well you tell me: the Washington Post reports that all in all, the joint venture would control more than one out of every five television-viewing hours. Read more.