What the Comcast decision really means

As someone who supports the free market and constitutional small government, my initial reaction to Comcast's decision to ban gun and gun related ads is "they are a business, they can do what they like." However, on further contemplation there are a number of troubling issues.

• Comcast is actually a defacto monopoly. The only competition is Over The Air broadcasts (not really competition due to the much lower range of content) or satellite broadcasts. For the latter, due to weather issues, there are many who do not wish to use that capability. In the cable space, it is virtually unheard of to have multiple companies providing service in the same geography. So if you are a monopoly, the rules have to be different as you are NOT operating in a truly free market.
• More troubling however, is the arbitrary decision to refuse ads for a legal product. Suppose tomorrow that Comcast decides that they disagree with the GOP and will not take any commercials associated with GOP messaging. Would that be acceptable?

Yes, I realize we walk a fine line between allowing private or public companies, but definitely non-governmental entities, freedom to do what they want and regulating them to allow any commercials for any legal product or topic.

In the meanwhile, if you are subject to Comcast as a provider, please give serious thought to switching to an alternative, Dish, DirectTV or another cable provider if you have that luxury. You can also investigate Internet based services that run on equipment like Roku, etc. You will find that there are subscription services that stream many channels of entertainment and news direct to your TV (not just your computer any more), e.g. Hulu, Amazon, Netflix, theBlaze (Glenn Beck TV) and others.
Comcast Cable Network Bans All Firearms Related Advertising - Godfather Politics