FCC proposal would cap cable's expansion

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, March, 2007 | by Miriam Hill

Comcast Corp. likely could not buy another cable company or significantly expand its market share under a new ownership rule the Federal Communications Commission is considering.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin proposed prohibiting a single cable operator from serving more than 30 percent of cable customers, Rudy Brioche, a legal adviser to Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, said in interviews yesterday with reporters at an industry forum in Washington.

A spokesman for Martin said he could not comment on whether such a proposal existed, citing agency policy.

The FCC has previously capped ownership at 30 percent of the pay-TV market, but a federal appeals court struck down that limit in 2001, saying it interfered with free-speech rights.

At this point, the 30...