Al Franken: Comcast-NBCU merger threatens the future of the Internet

Senator Al Franken urged the FCC to reject the proposed Comcast-NBC Universal merger.

In an eleven-page letter of concern that Sen. Franken submitted to the FCC, he wrote that he "firmly believe[s] that the Comcast-NBCU merger should be rejected. The harms caused by this merger are significant and long lasting. No set of promises or conditions, no matter how well-intentioned, can sufficiently mitigate those harms."

Should the FCC appprove the deal, Franken outlined nine conditions the FCC should adopt to protect consumers, including the following requirements:

• A merged NBCU/Comcast would not be allowed to require that people have cable subscriptions in order to view their content online;
• A merged Comcast/NBCU would not be allowed to favor its own programming on the Internet over independent or competitors'  rogramming;
• A merged Comcast/NBCU must make its online programming or channels available to competitors on a non-discriminatory basis

In another venue, Senator Franken used the occation of Elana Kagan's confirmation hearing to raise concerns about media consolidation and the proposed Comcast-NBCU merger as a serious threat to the public's First Amendment right to diverse voices that are so essential to our democracy.

The Communications Workers of America and the nation's top consumer advocacy groups have raised serious concerns about the impact of the Comcast-NBC Universal merger on consumers and workers.

Franken Letter to FCC

Al Franken Hates The NBC/Comcast Merger More Than Anyone Has Ever Hated Anything

Anticipated Comcast-NBC Universal merger must be stopped