I signed up for Consumer Reports recently (thanks to my winter-weather car woes) because its an organization I respect and trust. Today I got this email, and because I do trust the source, Im sharing it. Dear Amy, Its time to say No to the cable company squeeze – high prices and terrible customer service. And we can start with a resounding No to the merger of Comcast and Time Warner Cable. We already shuffle past hundreds of channels we never watch, and sometimes pay extra for the ones we do. Our bills are outrageous. Add to that sluggish Internet, and long waits for service. Weve all had just about enough! Now imagine if Comcast is allowed to take over Time Warner Cable! This massive cable company will control two-thirds of the nations cable TV customers, and nearly 40 percent of the broadband Internet market. Who among us thinks that will end up in our favor? The FCC and Dept. of Justice can help stop this merger. Tell them to reject it, and say enough is enough! Cable rates already increase at more than twice the rate of inflation every year – just imagine the price hikes if this goes through! And its not just what you pay. Its what you get. A merged Comcast would be so huge it could use its leverage to hold networks hostage unless they pony up to get their programs on. And with access over most of the nations broadband networks, Comcast could potentially control the speed of the content and programs you view from websites like Amazon Prime and YouTube. This merger will give Comcast even more muscle to push competitors and consumers around. Demand this merger be stopped. Take action now, and lets stop this cable power grab! Even if youre not currently a Comcast or Time Warner customer, a merger this size has huge implications for the marketplace. Please take action, then forward this to anyone you know whos said enough when it comes to their cable company. Sincerely, Jim Guest, President, Consumer Reports 101 Truman Ave Yonkers, NY 10703 https://secure.consumersunion.org/site/Advocacy;jsessionid=7C9AB64989849773CE585EECB3DA0C48.app274b?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=2879&s_src=EH43Y02&s_subsrc=117499003019040001174990030190400012
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 15:12:29 +0000