By Kevin McCauley
The Federal Communications Commission today approved by a 4 to 1 margin the Comcast/NBC Universal venture.
The panel accepted Comcast's promise to increase local news coverage, enhance Spanish language programming, bolster the number of children's shows, offer reduced broadband rates to low-income households and introduce high-speed services to schools, libraries and underserviced communities.
The Commission requires that Comcast does not restrict online distribution of its own programming to other providers and offer access to its network to other providers.
Commissioner Michael Copps offered the sole "no" vote. In a statement, Copps said the combination "reaches into virtually every corner of our media and digital landscape and will affect every citizen in the land."
The transaction "confers too much power in one company's hand," he said.
Copps complained that his request that Comcast make a "major commitment of its resources to beef up the news operation at NBC" was never taken seriously.
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