Suggesting that it won't be smooth sailing while GE and Comcast navigate regulatory waters following their agreement to form a joint venture to oversee Universal and the NBC/Comcast broadcast and cable networks, FCC Commissioner Michael Copps issued a statement Thursday expressing reservations about the deal. "The lodestar for this review must be the public interest," he said. "It will come as no news to [GE and Comcast] that they face a very steep climb with me." Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl, chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, said that the deal "will create waves throughout the media and entertainment marketplace and we don't know where the ripples will end." New York Congressman Maurice Hinchey did not hedge his remarks. "This acquisition must be stopped," he said. Meanwhile, several analysts suggested that it is by no means clear which government agency, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or the Department of Justice (DOJ) is in the position of approving the deal or knocking it down. One unnamed antitrust lawyer told the Legal Times/National Law Journal, "It should be a colossal clearance fight. ... Both agencies appear to have justifiable claims."