Progress and Freedom Foundation’s Ken Ferree issued a press release today that, amazingly, claimed “the deal raises no general antitrust or diversity issue.” But there was not a word or mea culpa that his salary is partly paid for by PFF’s supporters Comcast, NBCU and the cable industry. Beyond the conflict question, there is also Mr. Ferree’s peculiar history with media consolidation. He was Michael Powell’s chief staffer when the FCC tried to end all the media ownership safeguards. Powell and his allies failed then to understand the complexities of the issue, which resulted in a huge public and political backlash. It appears it’s rerun time!
