

Law Professor Reads FCC Conditions on Comcast Merger So You Don't Have To - jakewalker
http://scrawford.net/blog/fcc-conditions-on-comcastnbcu/1433/

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rst
To summarize the summary:

The FCC was mainly concerned about whether the Hulus and Netflixes of the
world would be locked out of NBC content. So, if another major media
conglomerate cuts a deal with one of these "online video distributors", NBC is
required to do that as well, on comparable terms. They're also required to
license to "TV Everywhere"-style services of other cable and satellite
networks, again on comparable terms to other content providers. There are
arbitration rules for the inevitable disputes over what's "comparable".

They're also required to respect net neutrality wrt video content, and to
preserve standalone internet access.

Lastly, there's a really weird-looking condition saying that they should try
to preserve local news reporting at NBC-owned local TV stations by finding and
partnering with local non-profit reporting cooperatives "within twelve months
of closing".

The above is a condensed and (over?)simplified version of what was already a
condensed and simplified version of a longer legal document --- but it might
at least help you decide whether you've got an interest in reading the whole
megillah.

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btilly
My qualm about all of this. It looks good on paper. But it all comes down to
how the rules get enforced. The history of the telecoms suggests that they
will agree to stuff up front, then find creative ways to drag their feet
later. So we may not get what we've been promised.

~~~
pasbesoin
That was certainly the case in Illinois with SBC / AT&T.

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Joakal
Does part of the FCC conditions allow Bittorrent permanently? [0]

Startups could reduce distribution costs a lot this way.

[0]
[https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Comcast#Netwo...](https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Comcast#Network_neutrality)

