Bloomberg chief uses lunch to lobby Genachowski against NBC-Comcast merger

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http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/128987-bloomberg-chief-uses-lunch-to-lobby-genachowski-against-nbc-comcast-merger

Bloomberg president Danial Doctoroff used a chance encounter with Federal Communications Commissioner Julius Genachowski last month to lobby against the merger of NBC Universal and Comcast.

According to a ex parte filing this week from Patton Boggs partner Stephen Diaz Gavin both men attended a luncheon event at UBS in New York on October 27. During a brief coversation Doctoroff told Genachowski the merger threatened Bloomberg's ability to compete with the business channel CNBC.

"During their brief conversation, Mr. Doctorr advised the Chairman that Bloomberg has invested substantially in order to offer strong competition to CNBC, but that the merger had changed the competitived situation," Gavin wrote. "Mr. Doctoroff remarked to the Chairman that the merger must be structured so as to permit that competition."

Bloomberg has joined other media companies such as Allbritton Communications in publicly opposing the merger, arguing the new entity would be able to use Comcast's position as one of the largest broadband cable providers to stifle competition from rival content creators. Comcast has repeatedly denied it would discriminate against outside content.

[aquart]

1. Well, good for him and his helpful self-interest.

BAD merger.