Justice Department Likely to Recommend Blocking Comcast-Time Warner Cable Merger

By Alison Griswold, Slate

19 April 15

awyers at the Justice Department are getting ready to recommend blocking Comcast’s proposed $45.2 billion bid to merge with Time Warner Cable, sources “familiar with the matter” tell Bloomberg. The staff attorneys will reportedly submit their review of the deal as early as next week. From there, the Justice Department will decide whether to file a federal lawsuit to block the buyout. From Bloomberg:

The Justice Department lawyers have been contacting outside parties in the last few weeks to shore up evidence to support a potential case against the merger, one of the people said.

Furthermore, officials at the antitrust division and the Federal Communications Commission, which is also reviewing the deal, aren’t negotiating with Comcast about conditions to the merger that would resolve concerns, such as selling parts of its business or changing practices, said two people familiar with the situation.

A representative for Comcast told Bloomberg that there’s “no basis for a lawsuit to block the transaction” and that the merger will significantly benefit consumers. Obviously Comcast is going to say that. Then again, the company behind the worst customer service call of all time might not be the best authority on that matter.