Comcast Plans to Whine to FCC Until They Get to Buy Time Warner

Remember that whole fiasco about Comcast wanting to buy Time Warner Cable? Yeah, it’s still going on, and the debate about Internet “fast lanes” isn’t slowing down (get it?!), but through the public backlash against the possible sale, Comcast still wants to buy Time Warner Cable, come hell or high water. Their latest argument? Competition. Not the lack of competition, but the fact that there is too much.

Comcast’s plan to buy Time Warner Cable

The FCC listened to Comcast assure them that they wouldn’t institute Internet “fast lanes” if they bought TWC, despite literally all the evidence to the contrary. Consumers saw through the BS and let the FCC know how they felt with millions of letters addressing the Net Neutrality issue, and so Comcast is feeling the pressure.

Their latest argument seems like a Hail Mary for the telecom giant, as Comcast is now saying that they should be able to buy Time Warner because there is SO MUCH competition in the broadband industry and—despite being the largest in the US—Comcast just can’t get an edge.

Sound ridiculous? You’re not alone. Remember when you were little, there was always one neighborhood kid who would go home if things didn’t go their way while you were playing? That’s Comcast. If you’re playing “Cowboys and Indians”, Comcast wants to be the Cowboys, and they also want an impenetrable space fortress with laser guns, and super strong invisibility shields, oh and also they can fly and can’t die ever. But when you call them on how unfair that is, they kick the dirt, tell you you’re stupid and go crying to mommy.

Comcast—again, the largest telecom provider in the US—is saying that they are facing competition from municipal and local broadband providers, and mobile networks that consumers switch to as an alternative to using Comcast’s services. This is the reason Comcast wants to buy Time Warner Cable.

Comcast is essentially crying to the FCC, saying, “Why won’t you let me have ALL the money? This isn’t fair!”

Despite the fact that mobile networks still don’t reach the speeds provided by cable companies, and that municipal broadband provider’s attempts at success have been stifled by Comcast’s lobbying for regulations against municipal broadband providers, Comcast still claims that these are competitors taking away what should be their profits.

Did I mention that a typical industry practice is staying out of each other’s territories? Because it is. That’s why it’s incredibly rare to find Time Warner Cable and Comcast in the same area.

Also, I forgot to mention that, according to Comcast themselves, it would take a lot of dollars and a lot of years for a potential new cable provider to break even in an area already occupied by Comcast or any of the other major telecoms. Networks don’t come cheap.

But, you know, all of that is a fantastic reason for the #1 largest telecom in the US to purchase their biggest competitor. Someone has to stop those evil municipal broadband providers!

(h/t Ars Technica)