The Comcast/NBC merger probably sucks for consumers, but it sure as hell sucks for other cable companies. Like, for example, WOW!. They are a smallish cable company that competes with Comcast in Chicagoland and in Detroit.

From Reuters:

“This is an unprecedented deal, which, if consummated, would substantially increase the market power of Comcast, threatening consumer and competition in the traditional and the rapidly evolving Internet content and distribution areas,” according to written testimony from Colleen Abdoulah, president of WOW!, which competes with Comcast in Chicago and Detroit.

“Comcast has proven itself particularly adept at weakening or even rendering meaningless any such relief,” according to her testimony.
…
“The deal greatly increases horizontal concentration by effectively combining key content assets from the two firms, as well as important distribution assets,” according to her testimony, prepared for a subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Consumerist’s in-house translation service, the Megglefish, translated the this statement from Calculated PR Speech to English for us.

Here’s the result:

“F*CK! F*CK! F*CK! They’re going to own everything! Even Hulu! F*CK! Are they hiring?

Jesus, we’re completely @$#%@#!” Did you see what Fox was doing to Time Warner Cable? Did you see all the sh*t they’re going to own? OH GOD, STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING TO ME.”

Cable rivals: Comcast/NBC deal threatens consumers [Reuters]

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