The New York Public Service Commission shouldn’t seek...
The New York Public Service Commission shouldn’t seek a voluntary agreement from Comcast to expand its rural service area as part of its review of the proposed Comcast/Time Warner Cable deal, said Stop the Cap Founder Phillip Dampier in a…
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filing posted Monday. The filing repeats Stop the Cap’s opposition to Comcast/TWC. The public service benefit of asking Comcast to voluntarily expand its rural service area “must be weighed against the interests of millions of existing subscribers in New York who are likely to see further rate increases, usage-limited broadband service, and worse service from Comcast,” Dampier said in the filing. “Unless Comcast was compelled to wire the entire state, any proposal seeking a voluntary agreement to expand Comcast’s service area in New York is likely to be insufficient to solve the pervasive problem of rural broadband availability. It would also saddle millions of New Yorkers with a company unwelcomed by consumers, with no alternative choice.” The New York PSC’s review should also include a “careful analysis of exactly what Comcast is proposing to offer New York,” Dampier said, saying many of Comcast’s proposals are expensive. Attempts at behavioral remedies as part of merger reviews have “spectacularly failed to protect consumers from rapacious rate increases after the merger deals are approved,” Dampier said (http://bit.ly/1ujPJiO).