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Al Franken warns against Com-Warner Cable merger, citing history of broken promises

Published Mar 3rd, 2014 7:00PM EST
Comcast TWC Merger Al Franken

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Senator Al Franken (D-Minnesota) warned regulators in a letter last week that the proposed merger between cable industry giants Comcast and Time Warner Cable should be scrutinized because Comcast has “a history of breaching its legal obligations to consumers.” The letter, addressed to Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheeler, saw Franken voice serious concerns that the proposed $45 billion merger would be horrible for consumers in a number of ways.

“I am concerned that the proposed acquisition could result in higher prices, fewer choices, and even worse service for consumers,” the senator wrote in his letter to chairman Wheeler.

As an example of Comcast’s failures to follow through on its post-merger obligations, Franken noted that the company did not aggressively market its $50-a-month standalone Internet service plan following its merger with NBC Universal, noting that the marketing of the aforementioned plan was a requirement of the deal’s regulatory approval.

The senator also accused Comcast of violating net neutrality rules and other acts that he says were not in the best interest of consumers.

“[Comcast] is proud of our track-record on complying with the conditions from our past transactions including NBC Universal,” A Comcast spokesperson told Huffington Post in a statement. “We’ve gone above and beyond in compliance with most conditions, including our low-income broadband program, the amount of local news programming and investment in local stations, the amount of on-demand programming, especially children’s programming, and many more areas.”

Franken’s full letter can be read by following the link below in our source section.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.