Page 14 ^Jortlanò (Dbseruvr lune 16. 2010 Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the views o f the Portland Observer We welcome reader essays, photos and story ideas. Submit to news@portlandobserver.com. Comcast-NBC Merger: A Bad Cost to the public too high by C orie W right When you watch the news or read the paper, it's not hard to find evidence o f the negative im pact o f media consolidation. As media companies get bigger, local news and in-depth report ing take a backseat to sensation alism and celebrity gossip. Now there’s a new media merger on the horizon. And it's a real doozy. A few months ago, cable gi ant Comcast announced it would buy NBC. Comcast has agreed to pay billions o f dollars to ac quire the venerable broadcaster- -but the cost to the public will be far greater. If Comcast, the nation's larg est cable and Internet access provider, takes over NBC, it w ould be the largest m edia merger in a generation. The combined company would include the NBC broadcast net work (which supplies program ming to NBC-affiliated stations all over the country), 10 NBC ow ned-and-operated TV sta tions, the Telemundo broadcast network, 16 owned-and-oper ated Spanish language TV sta tions, Internet properties, exclu sive rights to the Olympic games, regional sports networks, televi sion and movie studios as well as an ownership stake in a slew of c a b le c h a n n e ls , in c lu d in g MSNBC, the USA Network, and El. In short, Comcast and NBC would control a sizeable chunk o f the content you watch, as well as access to the platforms you use to watch it—namely, broad cast TV, cable TV, and the Internet. Indeed, market analysts have e stim a te d that a co m b in ed Com cast/N BC would control one in every five hours o f televi sion viewing. The proposed m erger also threatens competition and in n ovation as new forms o f on line video deliv ery, like H ulu.com , are emerging and gaining audi ences. Ifthe merger is approved, Comcast could prioritize its own online content and stifle the free flow o f Internet traffic, giving you less choice in what you watch and how you watch it online. If this seems like a raw deal for consumers, you're right. But that hasn't stopped C om cast from shelling out millions to con vince W ashington otherwise. Comcast spent $ 12.6 million on 100 lobbyists in 2009, and an other $3.1 million in the first quarter o f 2010. Most o f this has gone toward hiring Beltway in siders, including 78 former gov ernment officials, to join its lob bying arm. That may sound pricey, but ranked Comcast as one o f the five “Highest Paid Worst Perform ers” in America. Roberts' 2008 compensation: $40.8 million. Ifyou’re a Comcast customer, you probably think that money would be better spent improving I f you fe a Comcast customer, you probably think that money would be better spent improving your service or lowering your bills rather than helping Comcast get even bigger. Comcast can well afford it. In 2009, Comcast's operating income was $7.2 billion, up 7 percent from the year before. Plus, spending $15 million on 100 lobbyists is chump change when you con sider what Comcast pays its top brass. Last year, CNN Money Even so, Comcast's customers have already endured price hikes of nearly 50 percent in some ar eas. Clearly, the company isn’t above padding its bottom line by raising your cable rates. That's the bad news. Here's the good news: The government gets to review the proposed merger. The Department o f Jus tice and the Federal Com muni cations Commission are sup posed to carefully review the transaction and consider what's best for us—the public. Please tell them what you think. The FCC is taking public comments until June 21. Visit freepress.net/comcastaction be fore it's too late and tell the FCC why it should reject this bad deal for the American people. your service or lowering your bills rather than helping Comcast get even bigger. Comcast con sistently ranks among the worst companies in customer service, and the Consumerist recently named it the “Worst Company in Corie Wright is policy coun A m erica.” sel fo r Free Press. a /t oons O f OH GOSH SO SARAH YOU ARE NOW BLAMING OBAMA FOR ARIZONA'S ANTI- IMMIGRATION LAW. CAN YOU TELL US WHAT IF ANYTHING, BUSH DID TO PROTECT OUR BORDERS DURING HIS 8 YEARS? DARN! WELL BUSHY GAVE US THE PATRIOT ACT RIGHT?? è *»*» ■ I The news over the M em o rial Day w eekend that crim es were com m itted against O r egonians sim ply because they are gay is a stark rem inder that we m ust do m ore to battle hate crim es in Oregon. te the CCditer That some o f these crim es went unreported is unfortunate. That is why I applaud A ttor ney G eneral John K roger’s an nouncem ent o f a new online hate crim e reporting form. Victims often have legitimate fears about going public by re porting hate crimes. An anony mous, online reporting system has the potential to encourage victims to seek justice. I also support K roger’s plan to com pile a five-year list o f Battling Hate Crimes hate crim es in Oregon. In this day and age, in the great state o f O regon, it is sim ply no longer an option to ig nore the real threats the gay, le s b ia n , b is e x u a l an d transgender com m unity faces on a regular basis. We m ust protect the civil rights o f all O re g o n ia n s , re g a r d le s s o f sexual orientation and gender identity. State Rep. Tina Kotek North Portland