A Proposed Merger Brings Out the Thoughtful Side of Congress

[Commentary] Lawmakers on the Hill, usually eager to score points and yell about imaginary scandals, have been surprisingly thoughtful about Comcast’s $45 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable, a pressing antitrust issue.

At a four-hour hearing, several lawmakers focused on the crux of the matter: Will the deal give Comcast substantially too much power over how and what Americans watch on television and how they access the Internet?

Congress has no formal role in deciding whether the government should challenge the deal -- the Department of Justice’s antitrust division and the Federal Communications Commission will do that. But lawmakers can still raise questions and give opponents and supporters of the deal a chance to debate its merits publicly.