Comcast's Cohen to Talk Consolidation at Senate Commerce

Comcast executive VP David Cohen will be among the witnesses at a July 16 hearing in the Senate Commerce Committee.

“At a Tipping Point: Consumer Choice, Consolidation and the Future Video Marketplace" will look at the growth of online video as well as consolidation among Pay TV and broadband providers.

Comcast is currently trying to merge with Time Warner Cable, with the number of combined broadband subs the two would have a big talking point among consolidation critics.

Also on the witness list is John Stankey, senior VP and chief strategy officer for AT&T, which is trying to merge with DirecTV.

Also on the witness list are Gene Kimmelman, president of Public Knowledge; Shawn Ryan, a member of the Writers Guild of America, West; Jeffrey Blum, senior VP and deputy general counsel of Dish, which is not merging with anyone at the moment, but doesn't want AT&T and DirecTV to get together; and Justin Hurwitz, assistant law professor at the University of Nebraska.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.