Statement: Senator Al Franken on
FCC Approval of Comcast/NBC Merger

By Senator Al Franken, Reader Supported News

18 January 11

big disappointment today: The FCC and the Department of Justice have signed off on the Comcast/NBC merger, paving the way for a single enormous media conglomerate to obtain unprecedented control over the flow of information in our country.

I'll be candid with you: This is an awful development for those of us who care about media consolidation. It will restrict your freedom of choice and raise your cable and Internet bills. And it could pave the way for even more media mergers and even less room for independent voices in the media.

But the fight's not over. We're building a grassroots movement to stand up to the special interests and stand up for middle class consumers. And every time an American learns more about what's at stake in this fight, our movement grows stronger.

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I know that these corporate elites have all the money and lots of influence - even, it appears, with President Obama's Department of Justice and an FCC chaired by one of his appointees.

And I know that this decision only validates their efforts to silence critics and punish dissenters.

But I've also seen how hard many of you worked to raise our collective voices and warn of the danger posed by corporate control of the media. And I'm confident that, if we take today's setback as a cue to work even harder, we'll win in the end and keep our media free.

Al Franken