Time Warner Cable Deal to Test Comcast CEO's Washington Clout

Comcast Chief Executive Brian Roberts has spent the past five years making friends with the Obama Administration, but he faces a host of unknowns on the regulatory front.

The government review is likely to be lengthy and could touch on everything from cable prices to the way web traffic is prioritized. The expected marathon regulatory scrutiny may become a measure of the company's clout in the capital, and in particular that of its senior executives. Roberts sits on a presidential jobs council, has hosted President Barack Obama and top presidential adviser Valerie Jarrett at his Martha's Vineyard home and has also golfed with the President. Comcast will face a review by the Justice Department to gauge the impact on competition, and by the Federal Communications Commission to determine whether the deal is in the public interest. The proposed transaction also affects both the pay-TV and broadband Internet markets, with the latter expected to be the central focus for the FCC. Comcast executives have been generous donors to the Democratic Party and enjoy regular access to senior administration officials. Roberts and his wife, Aileen, have donated $417,290 to Democrats over the past 25 years, compared with $116,150 for Republicans, according to the Center for Responsive Politics Open Secrets website.

The company employs a host of former FCC officials in its lobbying office and is one of the most visible players in Washington. It spent $18 million on lobbying in 2013, making it the seventh-highest spender overall, according to Open Secrets. It regularly hosts events for members of Congress, their staffs and other policy types in the capital. Comcast employees made a total of $6.5 million in campaign contributions during the 2012 election cycle, including $466,000 to the Democratic National Committee and $305,000 to the president's campaign for re-election. Comcast's lobbying and regulatory team includes Meredith Attwell Baker, a former Republican FCC commissioner who voted in favor of the Comcast-NBC Universal acquisition four months before she joined Comcast.