Consumer groups protest Verizon deals with Comcast, Time Warner, Cox and Bright House

Joint marketing agreements and spectrum deals involving the nation's largest cable MSOs and Verizon Wireless (NYSE: VZ) continue to come under fire, with Public Knowledge and several other consumer groups urging the FCC Wednesday to block the deals involving telecom rivals.

In addition to asking the commission to block Verizon from acquiring nearly $4 billion in broadband wireless spectrum from Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA), Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC), Bright House Networks and Cox Communications, the consumer groups want the FCC to quash the joint marketing deals will see the cable MSOs and Verizon team up to market bundles of cable TV and wireless services.

"The commission must block them," the groups wrote in an FCC petition. "Both the massive spectrum aggregation caused by the license transfers, and the blatantly anticompetitive joint agreements, are unfixable threats to the public interest," the groups added.

Comcast and Verizon recently began running joint promotions in Seattle, San Francisco and other markets that offer consumers that order Xfinity TV bundles and Verizon Wireless products within two weeks of each order a $300 prepaid Visa debit card. Time Warner Cable plans to kick off similar promotions soon.

Verizon Wireless defended the deals it has struck with the cable MSOs, and noted that the agreements will give it spectrum it needs to meet demand from consumers.

For more:
- see the FCC petition
- the Washington Post has this story

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