Small cable operators scrutinize Google-Motorola deal

The lobbying group representing small cable operators says it is concerned that Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) agreement to acquire Motorola Mobility (NYSE: MMI) could result in fewer choices for its members, which have relied primarily on set-tops and other hardware from Motorola and rival Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO).

"We're going to review the deal to understand the impact on the cable set-top box market, which has been a frustrating one for small cable operators long beholden to the Motorola-Cisco duopoly," American Cable Association (ACA) president Matt Polka said in a prepared statement. "For many cable operators, the question is whether Google's takeover of Motorola as one of only two major manufacturers will make things better or worse."

Polka said ACA's members will want Google to assure them that it will not use its market power to "run roughshod" over smaller cable companies.

Google must win approval from the Federal Trade Commission before it can close the Motorola Mobility acquisition.

For more:
- see this story in the Chicago Tribune

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