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He’s quite right.
Makes me wonder why Congress doesn’t pass a law requiring separate ownership of such services -or- why Obama can’t be brought on board to direct the FCC? Assuming the “rules” permit that as must surely be the case, one way or the other?
Media Consolidation. Yes, its monopolistic activities affecting more than just entertainment. Unregulated capitalism is as destructive to freedom as any other large single interest activity.
Didn’t there used to be laws against monopolies?
Unregulated Capitalism is Fascism.
Electronic journalism has always been diverse and competitive by nature of the technology used to transmit it. Then, when there is only one, monopolistic, anticompetitive corporate enterprise in control of what you see and hear? Then that changes everything.
Franken is probably the smartest guy in Congress right now.
#2 Good lord. Laws against monopolies?
Hint: The patent system ENCOURAGES a monopoly.
#3, stop masturbating, you’re making a mess.
While I don’t like the idea of Comcast and NBC merging, the don’t really understand Franken’s argument.
He seems to be saying that he doesn’t want the licensed owners of the content (NBC TV shows) to be allowed to restrict where the content can be seen.
He says that we might not be able to see “our” favorite shows. Well, the shows might be our favorites, but they don’t belong to us.
If NBC/Comcast is stupid enough to restrict access to the shows, then the public can respond by watching another network. In fact, that’s what we’ve been doing. Networks like NBC are increasingly irrelevant, which is why the NBC/Comcast move is a desperation play.
If Comcast tries to limit online access to NBC shows only through Comcast (instead of other sources such as iTunes), then it has the right to do so as the owner of the license.
But the producers of the content (TV shows) are far more likely to tell Comcast to suck it.
I love these SNL skits…..wait, what? this is real? somebody actually elected him?
chuck, I think the concern is not so much that you will only be able to watch NBC content with a Comcast subscription, but that Comcast subscribers will have to pay more for non-NBC content.
Franken is just upset that his left wing radio network failed. He thinks if he could get the old equal time laws back in place people would listen to his crap.
And back when there were a few radio stations in a medium size city and may 3 TV stations it wasn’t a bad idea but to day it is silly.
#8 The problem is that people will more than likely bend over and take it than go through the trouble of switching providers.
Fascism, where corporate interests are paramount and the state is the beneficiary of mono/oligo-polistic power granted them, is a logical outgrowth of corporatism.
The political and economic structure of America, with its concentration of economic power and ownership in a very small oligopoly, reminds me very much of Italy in the thirties.
I’ll say it now: “I for one welcome our new corporate ûberlord and hope that they will leave me get my internet in peace.”
ComCast and NBC will lord it over all the old media while the Republicans will lord it over all of us, just like Benito Mussolini did.
Lets hope Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is not like … wait for it … Hitler.
And ol’ Benito didn’t make the trains run on time, he broke the unions which had been holding strikes, letting the rail system putter along unfettered.
Oddly, every time I try to watch this video my Time-Warner connection seems to slow down until it halts with Senator Al in mid-sentence. Darned Windows 7!
#12, uh yeah, what switching providers?
Cable companies don’t have competition.
They are granted monopolies over a geographic area.
I’m stuck with Comcast not because I want it but because no other carrier is allowed in my neighborhood.
Its Comcast or OTA (over the air)
#10 is perfectly right. If Comcast at the helm of NBC wants to kill NBC content access except on Comcast networks so be it. They are in there right to let it die. But to have Comcast limit my Internet choices for watching video by limiting other 3rd party video/content providers is monopolistic as Comcast is the only choice I have for broadband Internet access. (I am 2 far away for DSL and Sat is nowhere near real broadband speed) Since they have a monopoly in my area any practice of restricting content should be very closely watched (regulated/prohibited). I do agree that a good competitive system would regulate but since the barrier to entry to bring a competitive Internet solution in my area is impossibly high (Comcast had to have governmental backing, financing, and restricted competition to even build it in the first place) we cannot have at this time a free market solution. This applies to far more places than it does not. So in the absence of market capitalistic regulation what else can be done to protect consumers? And the if I don’t like Comcast I can do without the internet is not a solution….
#1: The head of the FCC is appointed by Obama.
#2: Yes, that is why he said the deal was approved by the SEC. The group that is responsible for making those rulings.
#3: Please up your dosage
#4: Dictionary.com
#6: God I hope not.
“Unregulated Capitalism is Fascism.”
That is the best short definition I’ve seen.
Unregulated capitalism would look more like feudalism with the CEOs playing the part of the Feudal Lords.
Fascism includes an authoritarian government usually nationalizing industry. capitalists are not very interested in giving their power up to any form of government.
#17
Just my Tea Party member impersonation in #3.
=======================
Fight the Corporate Oligarchy (Corporatocracy)!!
Corporate oligarchy is a form of power, governmental or operational, where such power effectively rests with a small, elite group of inside individuals, sometimes from a small group of educational institutions, or influential economic entities or devices, such as banks, commercial entities that act in complicity with, or at the whim of the oligarchy, often with little or no regard for constitutionally protected prerogative. Monopolies are sometimes granted to state-controlled entities, such as the Royal Charter granted to the East India Company, or privileged bargaining rights to unions (labor monopolies) with very partisan political interests. (WikiPedia)
Much ado about nothing. Comcast isn’t the only game in town, and if they try to pull anything, customers will switch to another provider en masse. Franken’s constituents would be better served if he could find something more important to take a stand against, war and poverty being just one of many suggestions.
really i don’t care what you idiots are up to, do sick stuff to eachother as much as you want, just stay on that side of the pond okay?
“Unregulated Capitalism is Fascism.”
Statist Capitalism is Fascism.
Statless Capitalism is freedom.
Capitalism being defined as: Voluntary exchange between individuals, without threat from an outside 3rd party, i.e. from state control.
Regulated Capitalism is Fascism because the regulators rely on their enforcers to threaten the lives of those who do not comply. If people here haven’t noticed, NBC and ComCast have relied on the government to get to where they are: IP laws, regulations to keep competitors at a disadvantage, corporate personhood laws, etc. NBC’s parent company, GM, even makes weaponry for the state.
“Didn’t there used to be laws against monopolies?”
That statement self-destructs when one realizes that the government is a territorial MONOPOLIST of law, order, and ultimate decision making.
RicRevolution – AMEN!
Obama himself said, “You are privatizing something that is what essentially sets a nation-state apart, which is the monopoly on violence.”
There is no free market in the US. There is only corporatism, or crony capitalism. Without government influence, and the common knowledge of what FREEDOM and LIBERTY are, individuals would be free to transact with one another to mutual benefit.
Reading some of the posts on this blog really convinces me of the substandard education people are getting from government run schools…
A lot of people seem to assume Corporations are regulated by governments when in fact, Corporations regulate governments and they have always done so.
@David-#22
On the contrary, in many places Comcast *is* the only game in town.
#15 There is always satellite TV. And wireless internet is getting better and better. I am in a rural area so I bet I have fewer options than you. 4 years ago I had 0 broadband options. Now I have 2 internet providers available neither of them are very good.
#24, #25
You are ignoring the fact we live in the real world.
In our world “Unregulated Capitalism is Fascism” is absolutely true.(good one Snyde!)
When unions were a big part of Italy during the fascist period. Think of Tony Soprano as a pillar of society. Fascism means UNITY of all the big powerful types. They unite to screw the population for personal gain.
Unions aren’t really much of a factor today. They don’t cover nearly as much of the working population as they did in those days in Italy. A lot of the privatization efforts of the mid-70’s onwards have been about killing off the power of unions.
Today all you need is an abdication by government to create a fascist-lite deal.
Snyde’s definition is so good, because it assumes you know one central fact: a dirty reinforcing loop exists between business and government in America today.
There is both sleaze from gov’t and corps. Blatant hookups for connected people piss away tax revenues and unregulated money in politics stops sensible policy.
You’re working very hard Snyde, very hard indeed!
It would be better to get rid of the cable companies’ local monopolies*. Not that it worries me, I refuse to pay for television or radio, for that matter. Apparently, unlike most of America, I actually have a life away from the boob tube.
*I note though that these days, TimeWarner, AT&T and Verizon, both offer television, internet and phone service to my location…all for the same outrageous prices!
#26
“A lot of people seem to assume Corporations are regulated by governments when in fact, Corporations regulate governments and they have always done so.”
I recognize this partially. See the post #24
#30
“Today all you need is an abdication by government to create a fascist-lite deal.”
The so-called government IS “Tony Soprano” by its own definition. It relies on enforcers to extract money, i.e. taxation, from people within its territory. It then pays its enforcers, i.e. buys them off, with some of the extortion money. This is compulsory; there is no choice.
“There is both sleaze from gov’t and corps. Blatant hookups for connected people piss away tax revenues and unregulated money in politics stops sensible policy.”
Tax revenues is doublespeak. Unregulated money is quasi-doublespeak. The government is imposing a monopoly on currency; competing currencies are not allowed. The government controls the rate of interest. Currency and the rate of interest are fundamental to capitalism, yet they are controlled by the government. This control is also one of the 10 planks of communism. This is also what is called REGULATED capitalism.
Snyde’s definition is not so good because it is evidently disproven and self-contradictory.
In response to Se. Franken’s video:
What about when Time Warner owned Time Warner Cable along with premium TV networks HBO and Cinemax?