Comcast’s bid, valued at over $45 billion, would see the merger of the largest cable companies in the US, and Dish Network has reportedly written a series of letters to the FCC expressing its concerns.
Dish has also highlighted reservations over AT&T’s proposed $48.5 billion deal to acquire DirecTV stating that content control given to one company could be detrimental to consumers.
In a statement, Dish said: “The pending Comcast/TWC merger presents serious competitive concerns for the broadband and video marketplaces and therefore should be denied.”
The company further expressed its concerns over the size of the merged company, stating that a combined Comcast-TWC could force companies to provide content at lower rates, leading to the same programmers recouping lost sums by charging smaller companies like Dish higher rates as a result.
It also states that the tie-up is threatening to net neutrality, as the merged entity could use its control over networks to undermine and squeeze out rival OTT video services.
Dish has confirmed its participation in upcoming November’s AWS-3 and next year’s 600MHz spectrum auctions.
