Interactive Advertising Bureau CEO David Cohen has drawn pushback from Capitol Hill and the advertising community for some tough talk about privacy at IAB’s annual leadership conference last week, with a couple of major ad association’s taking part of the blame for the current problems and suggesting it was time for the industry to clean up its own messes and do better going forward.

Cohen told Next TV that his goal was to unite, not divide.

According to one attendee, talk on stage at the conference included: “I’m not going to talk about privacy. Because privacy is boring, it makes our eyes glaze over.”

IAB says that, if so, Cohen did not say it. But his speech was filled with red meat on the issue, according to a copy.

"Extremists are winning the battle for hearts and minds in Washington D.C. and beyond. We cannot let that happen," he said. "These extremists are political opportunists who’ve made it their mission to cripple the advertising industry and eliminate it from the American economy and culture."

And he named some Capitol Hill names. "Washington D.C. leaders including [Sen.] Amy Klobuchar  [D-Minn.]and [Sen.] Ted Cruz [R-Tex.] will throw our industry under their campaign buses, if we let them," he said.

Cohen also took aim at one of the biggest tech platform players. "We must all be in this together. If we can’t fix the rotting at our core, we won’t survive. While there are no shortage of extremists attacking our industry from the outside, there are some attacking it from the inside out. Most notably, Apple exemplifies the cynicism and hypocrisy that underpins the prevailing extremist view."

Online privacy is a big issue in D.C. and elsewhere. The Federal Trade Commission is looking to crack down on “surveillance advertising,“ while there are several efforts in Congress to pass legislation cracking down on data collection and targeted marketing — all efforts that IAB, representing Big Tech's biggest online platforms, has strongly opposed. Cohen doubled down on that opposition in his conference keynote by calling those behind the privacy efforts, which include some powerful legislators, radicals and extremists, according to Politico Pro.

Also: Bill Allows For ‘Turning Off’ Targeted Marketing

On Tuesday (January 31), the American Association of Advertising Agencies (the 4A’s) and the Association of National Advertisers tried to distance themselves from Cohen’s remarks.

“The 4A’s and ANA reject the acerbic tone, texture and prescriptions offered by the IAB at their recent ALM conference,” the statement read. “Our industry was built on a foundation of responsible marketing. While we, as an industry, may not always get it right, we do know when we must lead to restore balance — especially when we have created the conditions for our industry to be ‘out of balance.’ ”

ANA and the 4A’s, neither of which is a big fan of government regulation of the advertising marketplace, called Cohen’s speech a “tirade against the forces that disagree with our industry” and put some of the blame for the current ad issues on their own industry.

Also: IAB Calls Privacy Legislation Biggest Threat to Addressability

“Many of the problems that the IAB cited were because of an imbalanced industry that we all created and supported with our advertising investments,” the statement said. “Did we ever utter the issues of ‘brand safety’ or ‘digital ad fraud’ 10 years ago? Of course not. But it is time for our industry to clean up its messes and present a far more responsible approach to address the issues that are prevalent in our industry.”

IAB has said it supports national privacy legislation, just not the brand currently being pushed or what it labels “ill-considered regulatory regimes.” 

Cohen said in an emailed statement addressing the pushback that he was not out to put anyone down for working towards the shared goal of privacy protection.

“Rather than be divisive, the goal of my opening keynote was to rally the industry and instill a sense of urgency so that we can work together to build a healthy and sustainable ad-supported digital industry," he said. "It was also to accurately reflect the interests of our members which now include all sides of the digital ecosystem.

"We have deep respect for Congress and appreciate all the work going towards national privacy reform,“ he said. ”However, we need to recognize that there is a perception issue that we need to overcome. The negativity around the technology sector fueled by select viewpoints has the potential to adversely impact us all. The industry must all work collaboratively to ensure we get a rational and sound national policy on data use. We look forward to working with legislators and regulators as well as the ANA, 4A’s and others over the coming months to develop solutions that work for all constituents: consumers, regulators, and industry.” ■

The Senate has confirmed David Cohen, senior advisor to Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, as ambassador to Canada.

The confirmation was by voice vote, meaning it was noncontroversial and essentially unanimous. His official title is Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Canada.

Cohen is former senior executive VP of Comcast, where he oversaw corporate, legal, government and regulatory affairs, as well as corporate real estate and security. He was also Comcast's first chief diversity officer.

Cohen is also a longtime Democratic donor and fundraiser, including for Biden.

“I congratulate David on his confirmation as America’s next Ambassador to Canada," said Brian Roberts. "His long history of dedicated public service will continue as he builds the bonds between our countries. While Philadelphia will miss him, I know he’ll bring his energy, passion and incredible work ethic to Ottawa.”

President Joe Biden has signaled his intention to nominate David Cohen, senior advisor to Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, to be ambassador to Canada.

Cohen is former senior executive VP of Comcast, where he oversaw corporate, legal, government and regulatory affairs, as well as corporate real estate and security. He was also Comcast's first chief diversity officer.

Cohen is also a longtime Democratic donor and fund-raiser, including for Biden.

Also Read: Cohen Champions Right to Peaceful Protest

In an earlier incarnation, Cohen was chief of staff to Philadelphia Democratic mayor Ed Rendell.

David Cohen, senior EVP of Comcast, stood up for the First Amendment Wednesday in a virtual acceptance speech, but said that while that protection extended to peaceful protest, it did not include "the unlawful destruction of property in the guise of protest."

Cohen was receiving the institute's American Horizon Award for leading Comcast's Internet Essentials program, which provides low-cost broadband to low-income homes.

Cohen said that free speech was under assault by multiple forces, including "by foreign governments distorting the 'truth' through social media and by wildly disparate views of the 'news' by varying outlets."

In addition, he said the country is being buffeted by two viruses--COVID-19 and racial inequality. The latter, he said, has opened the door to a difficult but necessary national conversation.

He said much of that conversation has been conducted via public protest, with most of that in keeping with the First Amendment's protection of the right to peaceably assemble." But the "peacefully" in that guarantee was clearly a key word for Cohen.

"[W]hat we’ve seen in some cities is anathema to free speech. It reminds me of the classic law school hypothetical about yelling 'fire' in a crowded movie theater," he said. "That’s not protected speech. Nor is the unlawful destruction of property in the guise of protest."

Cohen said the protests have brought into sharp focus both racial inequality and the need for preserving the First Amendment guarantee of the right to exercise freedom of speech.

He said Comcast is a First Amendment company that strives to give that voice to everyone. He said that was reflected in the way it covers the news as well as in its promotion of diversity.

"[T]he journalists in our news division are the front-line players in the Free Speech arena. They practice and preserve the principle of free speech 24 hours a day. And every day, they navigate a minefield of sensitivities to offer a balanced and accurate picture," he said.

Cohen argued that free speech is of little good if people don't have access to that multiplicity of voices. He said millions still lack broadband access, an "unfairness and pain of this has been laid bare by the Coronavirus pandemic."

"Contending with life in America without benefit of the Internet is guaranteed marginalization," he said.

He said that was what was driving the Internet Essentials program. "We were frankly outraged by the unfairness of disparate access to the Internet in America. And we felt a responsibility to take action."

David Cohen has been named CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau, which represents digital media, effective Sept. 15.

Cohen joined the IAB as president in March. He had been a top media buyer, most recently as president of Magna. 

Since joining IAB, Cohen oversaw the IAB’s NewFronts, which were conducted virtually this year because of the COVID pandemic as well as the IAB Podcast upfront. He also took charge of the IAB’s Tele://Vision campaign seeking to change the way video is bought and sold and the News Saves Lives initiative supporting journalism by pushing advertisers not to abandon news content while pursuing brand safety.

"The bottom line in business is results, and David delivers,” said Peter Naylor, VP of Sales, Snap Inc., a longtime member of the IAB’s board of directors, and the founding chair of the IAB Video Center. “His buy-side experience and perspective, most recently as president of Magna, is invaluable. He has built organizations responsible for purchasing billions of dollars of digital media inventory annually. In just six months, that expertise already has made a difference for all of us in IAB’s membership.”

Cohen is replacing Randall Rothenberg. Rothenberg will be executive chairman of the IAB, working fulltime through the end of the year, and half-time through 2022 and reporting to Cohen.

“I knew that coming to IAB would give me the opportunity to leverage the experience and relationships that I have worked my entire career to develop. Bringing together publishers, brands, and agencies for the common good has been rewarding, and we are just getting started.  I continue to be energized by the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit of the media, marketing, and advertising industries,” said Cohen. “But what makes the IAB leadership position so meaningful is that the team here is not just helping individual companies - we’re helping to reshape and grow an entire sector of the economy.”

In his new role, Cohen said he will focus on increasing the presence of brands, agencies and across all IAB activities. "My buy-side experience has shown me that connecting all those dots is critical for industry collaboration, agenda-setting, and leadership," he said.

Prior to Magna, Cohen was chief investment officer at UM, where he made sure that digital innovation, data and technology acumen drove performance. From 2001 to 2011, he served as chief media officer, chief digital officer, and executive VP, U.S. director of digital communications.

The IAB represents more than 650 leading media companies, brands, and the technology firms responsible for selling, delivering, and optimizing digital ad marketing campaigns.

As former Vice President Joe Biden continues to rise in the polls, D.C. handicappers are seriously pondering who might be tapped for Federal Communications Commission chair in a Biden administration.

Candidate Biden has already signaled his FCC will be restoring network neutrality rules against blocking, throttling and paid prioritization, but since it is an independent agency, he will need to pick an FCC chief who “independently” shares that philosophy.

Biden has already signaled his vice president will be a woman. Odds are good his FCC chair could be as well.

The FCC chair calculus will be different depending on how many Republicans decide to leave with the change in administration.

If more than just current FCC chairman Ajit Pai exits on the Republican side — he isn’t required to leave and could stay on as a commissioner, but that would be a “snow in July” occurrence — it would give Biden more latitude in picking the chair, said one executive. “If there is only one slot, one can assume that it is very unlikely that Biden would appoint a white male,” the executive said.

The following is based on informed speculation aided by various Washington communications sources who asked not to be identified.

Handicapping the Field

Mignon Clyburn, the former commissioner and first female chair of the FCC, was acting chair between the exit of Julius Genachowski and the confirmation of Tom Wheeler for the post, which took a while after Wheeler’s nomination was held up in the Senate.

According to a couple of sources, Clyburn’s name will be in the hopper this time around. Closing the rural and racial digital divide was one of her commission (and post-commission) priorities, an issue that has been top of mind given the pandemic and with the current heated conversation on racial bias.

RELATED: Biden FCC Would Restore Net Neutrality Rules

Then there is the fact that her father, Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), essentially resurrected Biden’s campaign with his endorsement preceding the South Carolina primary, the former VP’s first big win, at a time when the media was all but anointing Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as the presumptive candidate.

Blair Levin, policy adviser at New Street Research and the former architect of the FCC’s National Broadband Plan, likes Clyburn’s chances. He said the job is hers if she wants it, which a top communications lobbyist says as well.

Some are arguing current Democratic Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel has an inside track to the big chair. She had to exit the commission after her renomination got caught up in political infighting, but made it back onto the commission for a second bite of the apple and possibly a shot at the chairmanship.

Levin also says Rosenworcel is a leading contender.

David Cohen, Comcast senior executive VP and adviser to the cable company’s chairman and CEO, Brian Roberts, is another name that has been making the rounds of late, but one observer said he doubted Cohen would want the job. “It’s not big enough for him,” he said, adding that Cohen would warrant a cabinet post. “There are few people as talented and qualified for government service,” he added.

Before joining Comcast, Cohen was the longtime chief of staff to Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell. Probably working against Cohen is Comcast’s position against net neutrality rules, given that Biden has said they would be coming back.

The other FCC Democrat, Geoffrey Starks, has to be in the conversation, said one veteran agency watcher, but added “there are an unusually large number of extremely qualified candidates this time around.”

Other Contenders

John Orlando is the former top CBS/Viacom lobbyist who left the company at the end of 2019. He worked on Capitol Hill for over a decade, including seven years as chief of staff to the iconic Rep. John Dingell (D.-Mich). Orlando, said one executive, is a “Democratic heavyweight with industry experience, gravitas and deep connections to House and Senate leadership,” recalling what he called the “adult” pick of Tom Wheeler by President Barack Obama.

Gigi Sohn is the former top aide to Wheeler. She has been a strong supporter of net neutrality rules, but was also willing to work with other stakeholders to find a way forward on the issue as head of Public Knowledge.

Clint Odom is the National Urban League’s senior VP for policy and advocacy and head of the Washington bureau and formerly a senior adviser at the FCC. His extensive experience as a top congressional Democratic aide includes legislative director for Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), who is a candidate to be Biden’s vice president or perhaps attorney general.

John Branscome is the senior counsel on the Senate Commerce Committee. He has a lengthy resume that includes past FCC service in numerous capacities including legal advisor to two commissioners, and was counsel for communications and intellectual property for Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), another legislator who helped Biden at a crucial time, in her case dropping out of the presidential race before her own home state primary and endorsing Biden.

Disney regulatory attorney Susan Fox, former senior legal advisor to former FCC chairman William Kennard, the agency’s first African-American chairman.

Larry Irving, former head of the National Telecommunications & Information Administration under President Bill Clinton, coiner of the term “digital divide” and a member of the Internet Hall of Fame is another candidate that can’t be counted out if the Democrats take the White House.

Levin’s other potential picks include another Larry, Lawrence Strickling, who was also head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) — under Obama — and currently on the Biden policy team; and Karen Kornbluh, who was on the shortlist if Hillary Clinton had won and just got pushed out as a board member of Voice of America. Louisa Terrell, a former aide to then-Sen. Biden and former FCC chairman Wheeler and past head of the Biden Foundation, is the “dark horse” candidate.

Levin has been talked about as a candidate, but he said his money is on any of the other candidates before himself. λ

David Cohen made a number of early advanced advertising deals when he was head of Magna Global, one of the largest media buyers.

At Future plc’s Advanced Advertising Summit on March 24 in New York, Cohen will moderate a panel that will look at the industry’s progress and ask what still needs to be done to progress the evolution of television.

“There have never been more options for consumers or opportunities for marketers in the video space,” said Cohen, now a consultant. “With the continued erosion of linear viewership and the explosion of streaming platforms, the war for consumer attention has never been more fierce. The battleground has turned to data — used to create high value custom audiences which are then matched, sized and delivered across screens and platforms.”

Cohen expects some areas of the advanced video marketplace to show exciting growth, such as over-the-top and connected TV, data-driven linear, household addressable and full episode players. Buyers are looking for new sources of supply this upfront season and there is no doubt that many of these will be digitally delivered.

The key question for Cohen is: “Will this be the year that we materially move away from driving linear television efficiency against a standard demographic audience?”

Cohen’s panel will include top executives from Xandr, Imagine Communication and Magna.

He expects to discuss the areas of the advanced television ecosystem that offer the greatest opportunity and the most promising use cases that marketers can leverage, as well as the most common misconceptions about advanced television.

Attendees will get a look at market innovation over the next 6-12 months and examples of marketers that are making good use of the tools that data and technology have made available.

David Cohen has been a leading thinker in the advertising industry,” said Jon Lafayette, Business Editor at Broadcasting+Cable, a Future publication. “I look forward to him interviewing our panelists to give our attendees a clear picture of the state of advanced advertising and the opportunities ahead for informed marketers.”

David Cohen made a number of early advanced advertising deals when he was head of Magna Global, one of the largest media buyers.

At Future plc’s Advanced Advertising Summit on March 24 in New York, Cohen will moderate a panel that will look at the industry’s progress and ask what still needs to be done to progress the evolution of television.

“There have never been more options for consumers or opportunities for marketers in the video space,” said Cohen, now a consultant. “With the continued erosion of linear viewership and the explosion of streaming platforms, the war for consumer attention has never been more fierce. The battleground has turned to data — used to create high value custom audiences which are then matched, sized and delivered across screens and platforms.”

Cohen expects some areas of the advanced video marketplace to show exciting growth, such as over-the-top and connected TV, data-driven linear, household addressable and full episode players. Buyers are looking for new sources of supply this upfront season and there is no doubt that many of these will be digitally delivered.

The key question for Cohen is: “Will this be the year that we materially move away from driving linear television efficiency against a standard demographic audience?”

Cohen’s panel will include top executives from Xandr, Imagine Communication and Magna.

He expects to discuss the areas of the advanced television ecosystem that offer the greatest opportunity and the most promising use cases that marketers can leverage, as well as the most common misconceptions about advanced television.

Attendees will get a look at market innovation over the next 6-12 months and examples of marketers that are making good use of the tools that data and technology have made available.

David Cohen has been a leading thinker in the advertising industry,” said Jon Lafayette, Business Editor at Broadcasting+Cable, a Future publication. “I look forward to him interviewing our panelists to give our attendees a clear picture of the state of advanced advertising and the opportunities ahead for informed marketers.”

FCC chair Ajit Pai offered details about why his proposed FCC Office of Economics and Data would provide "critical functions" for the agency, and he insisted on Wednesday (May 31) that he does not have "any pre-ordained position" on the paid-prioritization elements in his plan to undo the Open Internet rules.

Pai repeated his view that the agency's 2015 net-neutrality regulations "are curtailing investment in infrastructure," especially affecting "small operators [who] are prevented from getting financing."

In wide-ranging remarks at the Free State Foundation's Ninth Annual Telecom Policy Conference, Pai also affirmed his stance on the ongoing broadband privacy issue, saying, "The regulatory framework should be consistent. ... The core principles [are] in sections of the Act."

Earlier at the FSF event, Comcast senior executive vice president David Cohen revealed that Comcast reduced its "capital spend by $2.5 billion over a three year period" because of the uncertainty triggered by the current Open Internet rules. Cohen chastised groups such as FreePress and the Internet Association, which claimed that the FCC ruling has had no effect on capital investment.

"Title II was raised in every conversation" at Comcast about capital budgets, Cohen said, characterizing it as "a rate-regulation policy." He said that in some cases, the rules "delayed launch of services for 18 months."

Related: Videos From the Free State Foundation's Ninth Annual Telecom Policy Conference (via C-SPAN)

Most of the day's speakers fulfilled the anti-regulatory mission of the right-leaning FSF program's title: "New Directions for Communications Policy: Less Regulation, More Investment and Innovation." The assault continued through the final speaker, Duke University economics professor Michelle Connolly, who declared that unless Congress stops regulatory over-reach, "there is a 100% probability of someone making a regulatory grab."

Connolly warned that the current deregulatory approach at the FCC "may only last as long as Pai's chairmanship" and that future "random rules" would slow innovation.

Meredith Baker, president/CEO of CTIA: The Wireless Association, emphasized the need "to get policy right" as the FCC addresses 5G (fifth-generation) wireless services. She said her industry needs broadband policies that will support the expected $275 billion pricetag for building the new networks, including doubling the number of small cell towers for pervasive 5G delivery.

"We won the race in 4G, we need to do it in 5G too," Baker said, adding that preparing for spectrum auctions that will be involved in long-term 5G deployment "takes a lot of time and planning. We really need a long time in advance."

Pai 'Hopeful' on ISP Rules
During his on-stage conversation with FSF president Randolph May, Pai contended that there is "a lot of agreement" among Internet service providers and the FCC about how ISP practices could be governed under Title I. He said he's "hopeful that the agency can craft appropriate policies," noting that "consumers have uniform expectations" about protections they receive no matter what Internet services they use.

As for spectrum policy, Pai said, "Consumers are demanding a faster, better level of connectivity" and noted that on the local level, delivering such service should be a "cooperative effort."

May opened the session by asking Pai if he brought his "weed whacker," a reference to Pai's December speech at another FSF event where he used the metaphor to describe his deregulatory approach. May cited a recent article by MCN's John Eggerton that said the phrase had "gained cultural currency within and beyond communications circles."

Pai simply said, "It's best to move on."

Pai spent considerable time describing his efforts on process reform at the FCC, calling the initial results "significant" for reducing the burden on the Commission's staff. He said that the "front-loaded" three-week advance notice for open meeting agenda items has eliminated the "problematic" challenges of 11th-hour marathons on the night before Commission meetings.

Pai characterized his plan to establish an Office of Economics and Data within the FCC as "one of the most critical factors" on his agenda.

"I want us to be data driven, to have all Commission economists in one place ... to encourage more collaboration on big picture issues," Pai said. He pointed out that since 2012, "we've had zero economic working papers," indicating that the growing complexity of FCC decisions requires greater financial and economic analyses.

Cohen Seeks Regulatory Rationale
At the panel session entitled "Challenges and Opportunities Ahead," Comcast's Cohen acknowledged the value of FCC policy on topics such as net neutrality; but he emphasized that "the light touch until the past five years" was a better approach, insisting that the "No. 1 priority for our company and our industry" is to keep the U.S. on the leading edge.

"It is crucial to adopt policies to continue private investment," Cohen said.

"We can support net-neutrality rules but you don't have to do it under Title II," he added. "We can make a lot of progress if we focus on policies [such as] universal broadband deployment and adoption."

Citing the approach of former FCC chair Julius Genachowski (the Obama administration's first chair), Cohen said, "Strong, legally enforceable net-neutrality rules should meet a number of standards." He criticized the current rules, pointing in particular to the "general conduct" section, which he called a "catch-all" and "double-edged sword" that "perpetuates contention" and could be used to attack zero-rating rules, among other things.

"The purpose [of regulation] is to end the game of regulatory ping-pong," Cohen said.

Newport, R.I. – The set-top box competition proposal at the FCC weighed heavily on the opening of the New England Cable Telecommunications Association convention here, with one speaker calling it “an existential threat to the cable industry” and another saying “the loser in this [FCC] approach is the American consumer.”

The speaker seeing the existential threat, Charles River Associates senior consultant Stanley Besen, called the plan by Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheeler “bad economics” that could “sever” the business relationships between programmers and video distributors. 

He said the FCC should embrace the cable industry’s proposal to let programmers get integrated into pay-TV systems via apps and then “declare victory and go home.” But the agency seems intent on changing the way programming is delivered, he said.

The second speaker, Comcast senior executive vice president David Cohen, agreed with Besen that Wheeler’s proposal – to enable over-the-top providers to gain access to set-top data – could “blow up the cable content ecosystem.” If so, he said, that “could easily result in lesser quality of programming, higher prices and a significantly worse consumer experience.”

The Comcast top policy executive (who said this was his 14th year in the NECTA opening panel) cited encouragement cable has received from Verizon and Google to the apps-based “ditch the box” proposal. He also said “consumers don’t view this as a burning issue,” having not weighed in heavily with comments and with more comments opposing Wheeler’s plan than supporting it.

Beyond the set-top proceeding there also are big policy concerns for non-video parts of the business, which are growing faster than video, he said: the broadband data privacy and special-access proceedings under way at the FCC that target high-speed data and business services.

Cohen said the proposals were “ideologically based attacks” by the Obama administration that pose “grave risks” to the cable industry and “something we need to pay attention to for the next six months.” 

Atlantic Broadband CEO Richard Shea agreed the pending FCC actions – which might get bogged down in an election year – was worrisome because of the threat to the important business services segment for the first time. “For either one of those to come into full force would have a very chilling effect for us,” he said.

Later, Cohen said with the election of a new president, administration and FCC in 2016, it "needs to be a huge priority for our entire industry, to press the re-start button and begin to rebuild a constructive relationship between our federal government and our industry." 

Asked by the moderator, CNBC anchor Ron Insana, about the surprise Pokemon Go phenomenon, Cohen said it was a good reminder that millennials are key to driving the business and of “the importance of innovation.” To the latter point, Comcast is working hard on immersive virtual reality applications for viewing the Olympics, he said. That won’t attract a significant audience in 2016 but will grow to becom an important application at the 2020 Games, he said. 

“We have to be innovating the next things that will make people love and want our products and services, even though we have no idea what they are today.”

Comcast says it is donating $1.5 million in airtime to run PSA's promoting the 2016 LGBT Equality Forum (equality.com).

Comcast is the lead sponsor of the three-day event, which is held during the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia--Comcast is headquartered in Philadelphia.

The PSA is already airing across Comcast markets and will continue through the conference (the end of July).

The event includes legal and political panels, awards, and the dedication of two historic markers.

“We take great pride in our support of the LGBT community and of a diverse and inclusive workforce,” said David Cohen, senior Executive VP of Comcast as well as a special advisor to the Democratic National Convention (he is former top aide to former Philadelphia Democratic mayor (and later governor, Ed Rendell, who is chairing the 2016 Democratic convention. “Through the support of events like the Equality Forum, Comcast NBCUniversal continues to invest in creating a business culture where diverse perspectives and ideas help drive innovation.”

Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts received $36.2 million in total compensation in 2015, a 10% increase over the prior year, according to a proxy statement filed Friday.

Roberts, who received $32.9 million in compensation in 2014, stayed relatively level on the annual base salary ($2.9 million), stock awards ($5.4 million) and option awards ($5.4 million) fronts, with the biggest change coming in pension value and deferred compensation earnings.  Roberts received $8.7 million in deferred comp and increased pension value in 2015, compared to $6.5 million in 2014.

But Roberts wasn’t Comcast’s highest paid executive – that honor went to new chief financial officer Michael Cavanagh, who joined Comcast in January, replacing former vice chairman and CFO Michael Angelakis, who resigned last year. Cavanagh took home $40.6 million in total compensation, including $16.5 million in stock awards and $11.9 million in “other” compensation, mainly deferred comp.

Other Comcast execs fared better. Comcast Cable unit CEO Neil Smit received $27.9 million in total compensation in 2015, a 21% increase over the $23.1 million he received in the previous year. And executive vice president David Cohen took home $17.9 million in total comp, a 33% increase over the $13.5 million he received in 2014.

NBC Universal CEO Stephen Burke made $33.7 million in 2015, slightly less than the $33.9 million he took home in 2014.  

Angelakis, who resigned in June but stayed on to help with the transition to a new CFO, received $20.2 million in total compensation in 2015, a 7% increase over the prior year. Angelakis became CEO of Atairos Group, an investment fund backed by Comcast in January. Atairos recently made its first major investment, $250 million for a stake in Internet company Groupon.

WASHINGTON -- Comcast senior executive vice president and chief diversity officer David Cohen is among a number of familiar names tapped by Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker to be on the first-ever Digital Economy Board of Advisors, one goal of which is to protect a free and open Internet. Also on the board is AT&T senior EVP James Cicconi as well as representatives of Microsoft, Consumer Reports, YouTube and Lyft.

Pritzker agreed to create the board last fall as part of the Administration's Digital Economy Agenda, which includes insuring a "free and open Internet," broadband access and innovation.

The board will be co-chaired by Markle Foundation president Zoe Baird and Mitchell Baker, executive chairwoman of Mozilla.

“As we develop an agenda to help the digital economy grow and thrive, it is critical that we engage with those on the front lines of the digital revolution," said Pritzker.

Other members of the advisory panel are:

• Karen Bartleson, president-elect of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

• Greg Becker, president and CEO of Silicon Valley Bank and SVB Financial Group

• Austan Goolsbee, Robert P. Gwinn Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business

• Mindy Grossman, CEO and director of HSN, Inc.

• Oisin Hanrahan, co-founder and CEO of Handy

• Sonia Katyal, Chancellor’s Professor of Law at the University of California at Berkeley School of Law

• James Manyika, director of the McKinsey Global Institute

• William Ruh, CEO of GE Digital and Chief Digital Officer for GE

• Brad Smith, president and chief legal officer at Microsoft

• Corey Thomas, president and CEO of Rapid7

• Marta Tellado, president and CEO of Consumer Reports

• Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube

• John Zimmer, co-founder and president of Lyft

Comcast executive vice president David Cohen Wednesday hammered home his criticism of Netflix and other Time Warner Cable deal critics, saying Discovery was the "poster child" for inappropriate complaints being made by programmers, and that Netflix had tried to dump traffic and slow its user's online experience in order to shift interconnection costs from itself to Comcast.

Cohen talked to reporters Wednesday (Sept. 24) about the Company's voluminous reply comments at the FCC (something close to 1,000 pages including exhibits).

He was asked about his tough charges that some of the critics were trying to extort various "asks" from the company in exchange for their support or at least silence on the deal, or that the deal's public advocacy groups were "chicken little" with shopworn arguments.

He said he thought comments were "fair and direct."

Cohen said he was not suggesting that there was anything illegal, or even unexpected, in the use of the term "extortion."

But he wanted to make the point that such "asks" should not be cloaked in consumer-focused or public interest or policy issue rhetoric, given he said those same "askers" had signaled that if they got their particular business interest, they would essentially have no problem with the deal.

He said the Discovery, Dish and other critics are clearly promoting their own business interests, "which they are obviously entitled to do. But that motivation is not necessarily consistent with the public or consumer interests."

"The facts are that Discovery demanded unwarranted business concessions from Comcast as a condition to not oppose our transaction." He conceded such demands are common, but said it did not make them transaction-specific arguments.

He also signaled that he thought Discovery hardly needed the government's help to get its deals done. He pointed to the company's $25 billion market capitalization, 47 cable nets, and big name board members and investors, saying "Discover does not need additional regulatory help to succeed in the marketplace."

He was just as clear on where he though Netflix was coming from in criticizing the deal and the issue of traffic exchanges in Internet the backbone. Netflix has complained about a paid peering deal it struck with Comcast.

"This was a business dispute. This was part of a strategy by Netflix, and maybe by Netflix and Cogent, to create a problem in the backbone in order to make a broader point that had nothing to do with the consumer interest, which was that they wanted to make the point that it was better for them to have free interconnection."

"It is not extortion to demand that  Comcast provide its own customers the broadband speeds they've paid for so they can enjoy Netflix," a Netflix spokesman responded. "It is extortion when Comcast fails to provide its own customers the broadband speed they've paid for unless Netflix also pays a ransom. Netflix grudgingly paid to improve performance for our mutual customers, a precedent that remains damaging for consumers (who ultimately pay higher costs) and for other innovative businesses (that can be held over the barrel by Comcast to do the same.) If the merger were to proceed, this one company.

Comcast would have control over high speed residential internet in a majority of American homes and that is clearly not "great" for consumers."

“All we have ever asked for is a level playing field for all programmers and a chance for all networks to get their messages to consumers," said Eric Sherman, CEO of indepedendent cable network, Veria Living, in response to Comcast's filing. "For a giant like Comcast – which is about to control 28 of the nation’s top 30 markets – to accuse us of extortion is absurd. The FCC and Congress invited independent programmers to share with policymakers their frustration with Comcast as part of the merger review process. We have done that in an open and honest manner, providing testimony and talking with regulators on the record.

"Faced with overwhelming public opposition and thousands of legal filings from varied interests, Comcast has resorted to disparaging those who raise legitimate public policy concerns about the transaction," said Lynne Costantini, president of business development for TheBlaze. "TheBlaze has not sought to extort anything from Comcast in connection with the merger.  We have simply exercised our 1st Amendment right to petition the government and, over the past 2+ years, tried to engage in meaningful and fair negotiations with Comcast to carry TheBlaze -- a network that its customers have overwhelmingly requested.  This unabashed arrogance is emblematic of the way Comcast strong arms its suppliers and neglects its customers.  This type of behavior is precisely why the proposed transaction is not in the public interest and why the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice should reject this merger unless rigorous conditions are in place."

“We speak for consumers when we argue that Comcast should be required to provide a clear, transparent and fair route for independents to be considered for carriage. That has not been the case.”

“The arrogant tone and sense of entitlement displayed in the opposition papers of Comcast provide useful insight into how the combined company will treat the American consumer and competitors if this merger is approved,” said Dish in a statement. “This is especially concerning given that the combined company will control half of the high-speed broadband connections in the United States immediately, and be on a path to virtual dominance of the high-speed broadband market in the United States given that the combined company will pass close to 70% of pay-TV households.  Stripped of Comcast’s rhetoric, the facts and the law demonstrate that this merger should be denied.  It is not a close call.”

Cohen said he did not think the deal woud be loaded with onerous conditions and that the FCC would recognize the non-transaction-specific nature of many of the criticisms.

Cohen said the bottom line was that the deals many public interest benefits had gone essentially unchallenged by its critics, and that the transaction harms they posited were either off base or off point.

Comcast EVP David Cohen Friday answered critics suggesting the FCC's focus on broadband speed and competition added fuel to their arguments against the proposed Time Warner cable deal.

In a blog posting, Cohen referenced FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler's speech this week, in which he signaled that speed was an inextricable element of the definition of advanced telecommunications deployment and competitive high-speed broadband the FCC's North Star.

Cohen said the deal would do nothing to reduce that competition.

"Much of the reporting since the Chairman’s remarks has linked his comments to our proposed transaction with Time Warner Cable. The facts are simple. Our transaction will have no negative impact on the competitiveness of the broadband consumer market," Cohen wrote, echoing a point he has made in Hill hearings on the deal and the public interest statement filed with the FCC.

"To be clear, whether you are satisfied with the robust state of broadband competition today or deeply troubled by an absence of broadband competition, our transaction will simply not have a negative impact on the current competitive state of the broadband market in America today. In fact, the increased scale created by this transaction will accelerate and encourage even more investments in R&D, innovation, and infrastructure – all of which will be good for broadband investment and competition, and ultimately benefits consumers."

Wheeler said in his speech that mobile broadband is not yet a competitive substitute for wired, but Cohen took issue with that, suggesting it was more nuanced.

"We are seeing wireless 4G technology deliver speeds well over 50 Mbps and averaging in the double digits," he said. "Such broadband access may not be fully competitive with the fastest speeds that wireline broadband are capable of delivering today [100 Mbps to 85% of potential subs by some estimates], but the technology is a viable substitute for many uses of the Internet today and will indisputably provide even more competition in the future."

Comcast executive vice president David Cohen said Tuesday that the company needs to buy Time Warner Cable so it can have the scale to compete with Netflix, Amazon and others in the national marketplace for video, voice and other services.

In a conference call with reporters, he outlined the company's public interest filing with the FCC, saying the key was the pro-consumer benefits that scale would provide, at no cost to competition.

Asked about his view of Google Fiber efforts to launch competitive service and whether Comcast opposed that, Cohen said he didn’t' think Comcast had the ability or the right to do so. In any event he pointed out that so far that was only in a couple of markets, but said one of the reasons for doing the deal was to be able to be competitive with Google and others as they ramp up competition. Google is coming he said, and with global scale, and it won't be alone in "flooding" the multichannel marketplace.

He said satellite and telco competition had made Comcast a better company and he felt the same way about Google: "I think it will force us to up our game and be a better competitor."

Cohen was asked whether Comcast would be willing to extend network neutrality regs to peering and interconnection. He said he would not negotiate conditions in the press, but reiterated that arguments that conflated the two were off base.

Cohen said there were "few" competitive concerns with the deal, and the ones that were being raised were off base.

The first of those, he said was the "big is bad" argument.

Cohen was clear that the deal was indeed about scale--getting bigger--which has said is not always bad thing. He said the difference between Comcast and its Netflix and Google and AT&T competitors is they had global scale. Boosting Comcast's customer base from 22 million to 30 million will help provide more comparable scale for R&D and infrastructure buildouts and better service.

One of those "big is bad" arguments is that the combined company could exert undue control over programming given that it would control almost 30% of the MVPD eyeballs.

Cohen pointed out that the FCC itself had set 30% as the threshold' for so-called monopsony power, a threshold that had been heavily litigated and thrown out by the court. But even so, Comcast/TWC would be under that threshold given its plans to spin off some 3 million subs.

As to control of the broadband market, he said that market is local, not national, and pointed out that folks will have no less choice in Comcast/TWC markets after the deal, but that TWC offerings will be speedier, an example of the benefits of the deal that would outweigh concerns. He also said that Comcast faced increasing competition for broadband from "new," higher speed, DSL.

He said concerns about the deal are legitimate, but are not as serious as many believe and are in any event, outweighed by the benefits.

He conceded Comcast has gotten some low customer service ratings, but says the company is working to fix that.

The FCC filing is over 650 pages, including applications to transfer 346 licenses, exhibits and other enclosures.