Comcast challenges DISH comments on Adelphia deal

[Nick]

Comcast took aim at comments made by EchoStar concerning
programming access issues tied to its acquisition of Adelphia
assets, a deal it's attempting to wrap up with Time Warner
Cable.

EchoStar had previously approached the FCC with its concerns
about the Adelphia deal, specifically about access to
cable-affiliated programming. In a filing recently sent to the
Portals, Comcast asked the FCC to reject proposals coming from
EchoStar that suggest conditions should be placed on the
billion-dollar acquisition that address program access
concerns.

Comcast said EchoStar's comments are "speculative, lack
economic support, and are not relevant to the transaction."

As for EchoStar's access to high def programming from
In-Demand, which delivers pay-per-view services to cable,
Comcast said the allegations coming from the satellite TV
company are an "entirely unnecessary waste of agency
resources." Comcast also said EchoStar and In-Demand are in
settlement discussions concerning carriage of the pay-per-view
provider's content.

www.SkyReport.com - used with permission

[Nick]

Comcast and Time Warner Cable have a new nemesis to battle in
their joint efforts to acquire the cable assets of bankrupt Adelphia.

On Wednesday, a group made up of video programming
distributors, including DBS companies EchoStar and DirecTV,
and consumer protection organizations, media artists and
independent programmers, announced the formation of the
Competition and Diversity Coalition on the Adelphia
Transaction. The aim of the group, stated a press release, is
to protect consumer interests by "promoting a fair, open and
competitive video marketplace."

In addition to the two satellite TV companies, coalition
members include The America Channel, Center for Creative
Voices in Media, Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), Media
Access Project and RCN. The coalition said it's asking the
FCC and FTC to establish conditions on the Comcast/Time Warner
acquisition of Adelphia in order to address their concerns.

In its statement, the group complained about intentions by
Comcast and Time Warner to divide Adelphia's subscribers
between them and swap some current subscribers. "This will
create concentrated regional clusters, with one of the two
companies as the single dominant cable operator, posing a
clear risk to competition," the coalition said.

"In light of this threat, the coalition urges that if the
proposed merger is approved, the FCC and FTC should
establishconditions that counter the anti-competitive effects,"
the group said. Such conditions could include enforceable
guarantees to ensure Comcast and Time Warner cannot
discriminate against their competitors in distribution or content.

www.SkyReport.com - used with permission