Two dozen African-American and Hispanic members of the House have added their voices to those calling for
government approval of the Comcast/NBCU deal.
Comcast provided copies of letters to FCC chairman Julius Genachowski supporting the deal, and in the case of the
Hispanic contingent, adding that it needed to be approved before year's end.
Among the African-American legislators weighing in were Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), Ed Towns (D-NY), and Elijah Cummings (D-Md.). They praised Comcast's track record on diversity, its new commitments as part of the proposed deal, and said it looked to the company to be a model of a corporate leader on diversity for others to follow.
The Hispanic legislators, including Luis Guitierrez (D-Ill.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), said the prospective union's
benefits outweigh any concerns, arguing that it would create new programming opportunities and jobs. The also echoed the belief that the new company would be a "model" of corporate citizenship.
They also went one step further, not only endorsing the deal, but saying that it needed to be approved this year so
the companies can start "delivering on their promises without delay."
The FCC's informal shot clock, a deadline Comcast sources say it is trying to meet, expires in late November, but that assumes no more stoppages -- there have already been two.
