The subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet is holding a hearing titled, “An Examination of the Proposed Combination of Comcast and NBC Universal.”

The hearing explores the potential impact on the media marketplace of the proposed joint venture agreement between Comcast and NBC Universal.  It begins at 9:30am EST and is expected to run for several hours.

Participants:

• Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and CEO, Comcast Corporation
• Jeff Zucker, President and CEO, NBC Universal
• Colleen Abdoulah, President and CEO
• WOW! Internet, Cable, and Phone
• Mark Cooper, Ph.D., Director of Research, Consumer Federation of America
• Michael J. Fiorile, President and Chief Operating Officer, The Dispatch Printing Company, Chair of the NBC Affiliates Board
• Adam D. Thierer, President, Progress and Freedom Foundation

To watch, click the C-SPAN logo below.  A video player will pop up in a separate window.  Be sure to disable any pop-up blockers in your browser.  If the player does not appear, or you are unsure how to disable your pop-up blocker, you can launch the C-SPAN 3 stream using Flash, Windows Media, or RealVideo format from this direct link.

If you miss any part of the hearing, we anticipate having an archived edition up later today.

Click logo to launch player

[Update 10:23am — The members of the Subcommittee are still making opening statements.  Generally, Democratic members are expressing concerns about the transaction, Republicans are either neutral or favorable towards the merger.  The ranking member, Rep. Stearns (R) from Florida read a statement that could have been drafted by Comcast and NBC.  Net Neutrality and copyright enforcement issues are also coming up.  Members from California, the home base for a lot in the entertainment industry, are the ones usually mentioning copyright.  Republicans who have brought up Net Neutrality are universally hostile to the policy, one warning the Committee the very concept may be overturned by the DC Court of Appeals.  Democrats are in favor.  Both Reps. Markey and Eshoo are on the panel — they co-introduced the Net Neutrality bill in Congress.

Based on the opening statements, it appears the question and answer session will likely bring hardball questions from most of the Democrats, softball questions from most of the Republicans.  But expect a handful of members to occasionally break the trend.  There will also be the usual grandstanding on both sides of the aisle from time to time.]