Comcast’s $30 billion bid for NBC Universal is drawing the attention of more than half a dozen states — though so far most of their attention is aimed at examining the deal, rather than filing objections.
Spokesmen for several attorneys general Friday confirmed they have been scrutinizing information about the deal’s impact and that states have been sharing the information among themselves.
“It’s routine that any time there is a potential of anti-trust, we review proposed mergers,” Tony Green, a spokesman for Oregon Attorney General John Kroger, told TheWrap. He said the review was “part of our due diligence to make sure major mergers don’t harm Oregon consumers.”
While he said “a lot of states” are sharing information on the deal, he didn’t offer a number. He noted that the National Association of Attorneys General has formed no task force yet — a common step before filing lawsuits.
A Justice Department spokesperson declined to confirm a Bloomberg News report that the states had been in contact with Justice Department anti-trust officials.
The Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission are reviewing the deal on behalf of the federal government.
Florida Attorney General Bill McCullom’s office also confirmed the state has a review under way.
“We are reviewing the impact of the proposed joint venture in Florida,” McCullom said in a statement. “As part of any review, we participate in interviews of industry
participants in order to assess the impact of the transaction upon
competition. These calls are generally conducted at the staff level and
that is what occurred in this case.
“Whenever it is determined that a potential merger may have an impact upon
competition in Florida, the Antitrust Division of this office typically
conducts a review of the merger to assess the competitive impact. In
accordance with this procedure, this office has opened such a review in
this case.”
Officials of the California and Washington State attorney generals office declined to confirm their office’s involvement in reviews, though a spokeswoman for Washington State attorney general Rob McKenna acknowledged that the office had received complaints about the deal.
Officials of the Illinois, Connecticut and Pennsylvania attorneys general did not return calls for comment.
While Comcast’s deal for NBC Universal impacts the whole country, the concerns of the states may reflect the special concerns in markets where NBCU owns TV stations and Comcast dominates the local cable TV market.
A Comcast spokeswoman declined comment on the states’ involvement.
