ty for the smaller independent news reporters to get their message out. In a statement by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), General Secretary Aidan White. The IFJ warned, "The merger of Time Warner and America Online could threaten democratic values and freedom of speech unless editorial independence was protected. This merger may redefine the worlds of entertainment, communication and commerce, but it may also threaten democracy, plurality and quality in media". Both the Consumers Union and Consumers Federation of America worry that the concentration of media and Internet power will "hurt the public". Gene Kimmelman, of the Consumers Union in the United States, says his organization was "enormously concerned about possible harm to consumers", when the merger was announced a year ago. Potentially, the deal could have shut out competitors - depriving consumers of choice - and ultimately drive up prices. To address these concerns, regulators like the FCC imposed a number of restrictions, focusing on four areas: AOL Time Warner should allow consumers to choose their own ISP from among those carried on Time Warner's cable lines The combined company must allow any participating ISP to determine the contents of its subscribers' first screen.The firm must let each ISP have control over its billing arrangements.AOL's next generation of instant messaging must be made accessible to competitors.Public opinion is a major factor especially for a media company that has deep roots in services that probe into the homes of their customers. Which is why this is such a tricky deal, since Wall street has already started to treat the new company with a different view. The new AOL/Time Warner combination is not a hot, fast moving Internet company that is doubling its profits every year. It is now a massive conglomerate of "Brick and mortar" businesses that are slow to turn a profit, coupled with online companies that can become unstabl...
