Comcast and Time Warner Merger

Two of the largest US TV providers are planning on forming a merger that seems a bit... illegal? Comcast a proposed to purchase Time Warner for a staggering $45.2 billion making it the largest network TV provider in the US. It sounds an awful lot like a monopoly is being formed yet for some reason the deal is going through. It really makes you wonder if this is actually a fair merger or if politics are involved. It leads one to wonder who is getting a nice paid vacation to allow for this to happen. At the same time there may be an angle of this that I'm overlooking and this agreement is perfectly savvy.
 This new conglomerate would allow for Comcast to hold a lot of power amongst any media contract that could be formed. Comcast seems to believe this merger will prove beneficial to the customers in that it will allow for them to impliment their new cloud system and faster broadband speeds. Personally I could live with out these new benefits if that means not increasing my monthly cable fee but I don't think that really matters. It seems that anything really is possible in this country if you have enough money and power. This isn't the first time Comcast has pulled a stunt like this. A few years ago they ventured to purchase NBC for $17 billion dollars and were successful. Where is the line drawn? When it comes to this kind of control it's not just about the the viewers but also the advertisers. I'm assuming you understand that by practically having a monopoly Comcast can charge advertisers virtually any price they want to be on their programs (or as much as the law allows). In conclusion it I am not a fan of this acquisition and hope that someone puts a stop to it. An example needs to be made showing that there is a limit to how large a market an individual business can control.

Finally Purchased Cable

       A few years ago, I was addicted to television. I would come home after school and watch TV, I would have dinner while watching TV, and I would fall asleep watching a late night talk show or some comedy special on HBO or Comedy Central. When senior year of high school ended, I received a job at a sleep away summer camp and I would have work 24/7 for the whole summer watching kids and sleeping in a cabin. There were no TVs and I could only use my computer a few hours out of the week when I had time off. I didn't watch any TV the entire summer and the only movies I saw were Toy Story 3 and Shrek during movie nights for eleven and twelve year-olds. When my summer job was over, I had five days left of summer before my freshman year of college began. I was excited to have a few days to myself to watch TV, catch up on movies, and hang out with my friends. The day after I came home, the news was filled with hurricane warnings in my area. My parents said that I should leave for school early in order to avoid the harsh weather and arrive safely. The next day, I packed up all my belongings and left for Ithaca. I was home for a mere two days out of the entire summer, I didn't see many of my friends, and my dreams of sitting on the couch and catching up on TV and movies faded away.

        I didn't have cable during my freshman year and the only times that I watched TV were when I ate in the dining halls. The dining halls have a limited selection of news shows and sports games. I brought a rather large television to school and a DVD player so I could watch movies but my friend cable was still out of the equation. After freshman year ended, I was home for three weeks before I left to work at the summer camp again. During my short stay at home, I spent time with my family, caught up on a few of my favorite shows, and went to the movies twice a week. Once again, I didn't watch TV during this summer but I did see The Dark Knight Rises on a day off. I had a week home before I left for school and spent it with my family and friends rather than relaxing on the couch and getting sucked into the world of television. After that week was up, I returned to Ithaca College and was excited to start my sophomore year. My goal was to spend as little money as possible this year so I didn't want to buy cable. The other day, my roommates convinced me to get cable with them and it's good to be back. I can keep up with my shows and relax after a long day of work. I've been watching more TV and more movies than ever and I'm learning a lot by analyzing episodes and watching more quality films. If you don't have cable, I recommend you buy a simple cable package. It's nice to watch TV again after being away from it for about two years.