Sen Franken: DOJ should have been tougher on Verizon

Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) criticized the Obama administration for not imposing tougher conditions on Verizon's $3.6 billion deal with the nation's largest cable companies.

Sen Franken argued the conditions won't do enough to protect competition for broadband Internet service. “Most consumers, and especially those in rural areas in Minnesota and elsewhere, have few or no options for high-speed broadband service, which is one of the reasons I was so concerned about this deal," said Sen Franken, who serves on the Judiciary Committee's subpanel on antitrust issues. "Without meaningful competition for broadband, the cable companies will be able to charge whatever they want—and drive consumers to purchase expensive bundles of services they don’t want or need in order to get Internet service. The Department of Justice has addressed some of the worst parts of this transaction, but I don’t think it has gone far enough." Sen Franken urged the FCC to "stand up for consumers and address the lack of competition for high-speed broadband before it votes to approve this deal.”