Sens Franken, Klobuchar have questions for Comcast-Time Warner

Both Minnesota senators say they have questions for Comcast and Time Warner before the two media giants are allowed to merge. The only difference: Sens Amy Klobuchar (MN-Democratic-Farmer-Labor) is taking a look, while Al Franken (MN-Democratic-Farmer-Labor) is taking aim.

When the cable giants come before a Senate committee to justify their $45 billion deal, they’ll face an audience of skeptics like Sen Klobuchar, who says she has a series of concerns about the potential merger, and outright critics like Sen Franken, who is working to convince regulators and the public that the merger could be bad for cable and Internet customers.

“I’m concerned that consumers are going to get stuck with higher costs, that this is going to decrease competition, that some people will get less choices, pay more for those choices and get worse service,” Sen Franken said. He has been perhaps the most vocal congressional critic of the merger. He’s written two letters to regulators warning them of his concerns, and waged a public campaign against the deal through both his official office and his campaign, including a rare national television interview in February.