San Jose Mercury News
By Dana Hull

Faced with a burgeoning number of Californians struggling to pay their power bills, the Public Utilities Commission voted Thursday to crack down on utilities, making it harder for them to shut off gas and electric service to customers.

On average, nearly 70,000 households in the state have their utility service disconnected every month, while tens of thousands more get warning notices. The number of customers denied service has risen sharply in recent years because of the recession and high unemployment rates.
(more…)

THE GREENLINING INSTITUTE
A Multi-Ethnic Public Policy, Research and Advocacy Institute
www.greenlining.org

Contact: Bruce Mirken, Greenlining Institute Media Relations Coordinator, 510-926-4022; 415-846-7758 (cell)

Greenlining Joins Growing Opposition to Texas Oil Company Measure

BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA – The Greenlining Institute has joined the swelling ranks of opposition to Texas oil companies’ dirty-energy proposal, now known as Proposition 23 on the November ballot.

“As an organization devoted to economic opportunity for communities of color and low-income Californians, we can state unequivocally that Prop. 23 would be a disaster for our communities,” said Greenlining Institute Executive Director Orson Aguilar. “Texas oil companies are pushing this measure to protect their profits, knowing it will be a job-killer.”
(more…)

THE GREENLINING INSTITUTE
A Multi-Ethnic Public Policy, Research and Advocacy Institute
www.greenlining.org

Contact:
Bruce Mirken, Greenlining Institute Media Relations Coordinator, 510-926-4022; 415-846-7758 (cell)
Samuel S. Kang, Greenlining Institute Managing Attorney, 415-317-5946 (cell)

WASHINGTON — In a petition filed with the Federal Communications Commission Monday, The Greenlining Institute urges the FCC to block the proposed merger of NBC-Universal and Comcast, warning of serious dangers to media diversity posed by the merger. The merger, Greenlining argues, could have a profound negative impact on jobs, the diversity of content available to viewers, women- and minority-owned businesses, minority media ownership, and ethnic media programming.
(more…)

THE GREENLINING INSTITUTE
A Multi-Ethnic Public Policy, Research and Advocacy Institute
www.greenlining.org

Contact: Bruce Mirken, Greenlining Institute Media Relations Coordinator, 510-926-4022; 415-846-7758 (cell)

BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA — Utility and telecommunications companies are doing somewhat more business with minority contractors, but Southern California Edison and northern California’s Pacific Gas and Electric lag behind, while cable companies — which increasingly compete with regulated telecommunications firms for broadband business — are virtually missing in action, according to the Greenlining Institute’s 2010 Supplier Diversity Report Card.
(more…)

Comcast Corporation, General Electric Company, and NBC Universal (collectively the “Applicants”) are seeking to merge Comcast’s cable and content holdings with NBC Universal’s vast content library and production facilities into a newly formed joint venture. In order to do so, they must receive approval from the FCC for the transfer of various licenses. However, before the FCC may approve the transaction, the Applicants must have met their burden of showing that the transaction serves the public interest. Applicants have not met this burden because they have failed to show that the transaction will promote diversity, localism, and competition.

Please click Here to read more.

Los Angeles Wave
By LEILONI DE GRUY, Staff Writer

Los Angeles Sentinel
By Yussuf J. Simmonds
Sentinel Managing Editor

It was a field hearing of the Congressional Committee on the Judiciary, which was chaired by Representative John Conyers (MI-14) along with Representatives Judy Chu (CA-32), Steve Cohen (TN-9), Louie Gohmert (TX-1) and Maxine Waters (CA-35).
(more…)

Los Angeles Times
By Joe Flint

One critic likened cable TV giant Comcast Corp. to a plantation, while another pointed to the BP oil spill disaster as what could happen when companies escape tough regulatory scrutiny. Then an influential congresswoman dropped a bomb by hinting that Comcast had tried to buy her support for one of the biggest media deals in history.

Those were some of criticisms and charges that flew during a field hearing held Monday by the House Judiciary Committee at the California Science Center in South Los Angeles to review the proposed Comcast-NBC Universal Inc. merger. The hearing was convened by committee Chairman Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) but largely run by Rep. Maxine Waters of Los Angeles.

The session, attended by more than 100 people, lasted almost four hours and was frequently interrupted by applause, cheers and groans from the audience. The hearing was called to examine programming and workplace diversity issues arising from the merger, which would bring under one roof the nation’s largest cable operator and a TV powerhouse that includes the NBC TV network, Universal Pictures movie studio and cable channels USA, Bravo and MSNBC.
(more…)

Proposed Union Debated At House Judiciary Committee Hearing

multichannel.com
John Eggerton

Following the pattern a pattern of dueling views of the proposed merger since its inception last fall, Comcast/NBCU deal drew fire and praise Monday in a House Judiciary Committee Hearing on the deal, according to the prepared testimony of a number of witnesses.

Taking a lead role in the hearing was Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), who has called for Federal Communications Commission field hearings and close scrutiny of the deal. She said Monday she was not opposed to the merger, but had concerns about further consolidation and “serious questions” about the deal, which she said should not be “rushed through,” according to her opening statement at the hearing.
(more…)

The Hill
By Samuel S. Kang

The Federal Communications Commission will soon face one of the most important decisions it has ever made: Whether to permit Comcast, the massive cable TV and Internet provider, to merge with NBC Universal, one of the world’s largest news and entertainment content providers.

Comcast is not exactly loved by consumers: In a 2009 Forrester Research survey of customer satisfaction, Comcast ranked number 105 out of 113 companies. It has faced credible accusations of censorship of Internet and cable TV content and advertising.
(more…)