Four House Democrats Join Cardenas in Airing Comcast/TWC Concerns
Several House Democrats joined Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-Calif., in a Wednesday letter he sent, as expected, to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and Attorney General Eric Holder on the Comcast/TWC deal. The other signers were Reps. Sam Farr, D-Calif; Zoe Lofgren,…
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D-Calif.; Janice Hahn, D-Calif.; and Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. They asked “that close attention be paid to the pending merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable to ensure that their potential increased market dominance does not negatively impact communities and protects the best interest of consumers and viewers.” They cite what they call evidence that “such a market domination” would occur after the deal, citing a contract fight between Comcast and Estrella TV, whose carriage deal expired Thursday. “This classic example of a contract negotiation with a direct competitor to Comcast’s Telemundo, shows the potential for an uneven playing field, under that direct competitor, when sitting at the bargaining table and negotiating for commercially reasonable terms,” the lawmakers said. They suggested Comcast would “have an incentive to discriminate against independent program providers and drive down carriage fees for competitors” after the deal. They want these federal regulators to see whether the deal would result in or encourage anticompetitive behavior. The lawmakers said they don't intend to take sides in the contract fight. Cardenas strongly opposes the Comcast/TWC deal, as he said Wednesday about the planned letter. A Comcast spokeswoman strongly pushed back against his arguments and defended the merits of the deal. The spokeswoman also defended Comcast’s role in the Estrella TV fight, saying the cable operator has negotiated in good faith (see 1502180053).