Hill notes

Franken wants antitrust probe of Comcast. Comcast’s announcement of a new management team for NBC Universal may have been an illegal attempt to exert control over the company before the government has completed its antitrust review, according to Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.). In a letter Monday to Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Christine Varney, Franken asked for an investigation. http://bit.ly/fzsirY

Industry notes

Consumer group: Google-ITA deal threatens consumers. “Google’s proposed acquisition of the travel software firm ITA Software could limit choice in the online travel market, according to a Saturday statement from Consumers Union. The nonprofit consumer advocate is concerned Google’s dominance in the search market could give it an unfair advantage in the online travel market. ITA currently provides the back-end software for many leading travel sites and airlines.” http://bit.ly/dXbM2X

Hewlett-Packard reports 5 percent increase in net income. HP’s net income in its fourth quarter, which ended Oct. 31, rose 5 percent to $2.54 billion, or $1.10 a share, compared with $2.41 billion, or 99 cents a share, in the period in 2009, according to The New York Times. http://nyti.ms/fuhXAT

Novell to be sold for $2.2 billion. The NYT reports: “Novell, the software maker, said on Monday that it had agreed to be acquired by the Attachmate Corporation for $2.2 billion in cash. Novell also plans to sell some intellectual property assets like patents for $450 million to a consortium of technology companies led by Microsoft. Attachmate’s takeover is contingent on the successful closing of that sale.” http://nyti.ms/exyYJp

News Corp. acquires wireless for $360 million to expand into education. Bloomberg reports: “News Corp. agreed to acquire 90 percent of education-technology provider Wireless Generation for about $360 million in cash, as Rupert Murdoch’s media company looks to expand in academics.” http://bit.ly/eUsSxA

SAID

“Being chairman is much harder than being a regular commissioner. All I have to do is swing at each pitch and he has to offer up each pitch.”

—Republican FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell on the challenges of leading the FCC, in comments reported by Communications Daily.