FCC looks to control cableco size

The FCC may be nearing the imposition of a cap on the size of cable companies, reports say. A proposed plan currently has the vote of FCC chairman Kevin Martin, as well as the two Democrat members of the Commission, Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein. This may virtually guarantee the passing of the resolution, although the two remaining commissioners have not declared their opinions. If it passes muster by the rumored December 18th deadline, the cap will limit corporations to controlling 30 percent of the cable market.

While the move is unlikely to have any immediate impact, it may well have some in the future, as Comcast is nearing the proposed cap with ownership of 27 percent. A response from company VP David Cohen, cited by Reuters, claims that there is no justification for limits, and that "increased and intensifying competition" makes the argument for a cap "even weaker than when the courts rejected it six years ago."

Comcast has not endeared itself to the FCC in recent months, as it is at the center of controversy regarding net neutrality. The cableco has been accused of sabotaging BitTorrent traffic, an act which may violate FCC policy, though not any formal regulations. [via Ars Technica]

Filed under: industry
Other story tags: FCC, Comcast, net neutrality, cable