Mayors question Verizon-cable deal

A group of nine mayors from upstate New York want the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Justice Department to look closer at the proposed deal between Verizon and a consortium of cable companies.

The mayors of Binghamton, Buffalo, Cortland, Elmira, Kingston, Syracuse, Troy, Utica and the state capital, Albany, sent a letter to the FCC and DOJ expressing "deep concern" that the deal between Verizon and some of the largest cable providers in the country would have a "devastating effect" on their communities. The mayors say the proposed deal would deter any expansion of Verizon’s high-speed fiber-optic FiOS network, which would harm minorities because Verizon would no longer have reason to expand its FiOS service to the predominately minority-inhabited urban centers of the state. “We are deeply worried that the anti-competitive partnership between Verizon Wireless, the nation’s largest wireless provider, and four of the leading cable companies will have a negative impact on economic development and job creation in our cities, leading to higher prices, fewer service options, and a growing digital divide,“ the letter reads.