Sens Raise Comcast/TWC Hearing Concerns With FCC, Justice

Sen Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Mike Lee (R-UT) the chair and ranking members of the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee, respectively, have written the Federal Communications Commission and Justice Department to highlight concerns raised in the parent Senate Judiciary Committee's marathon April 9 hearing on the proposed Comcast/Time Warner Cable merger.

Among the issues they wanted the agencies to consider in their vetting of the deal was the combined company's share of the broadband video market.

"A key element of any analysis of this merger will be the impact it will have on innovation in the markets for Internet and video and, in particular, any impact it may have on the development of online video distribution," they wrote in the letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and William Baer, assistant attorney general for antitrust.

Sens Klobuchar and Lee also relayed concerns from the hearing about the deal's reduction of the number of potential outlets for traditional video programming, and its potential to raise prices by raising its rivals' costs. "Because this transaction will materially increase the buying power of the largest buyer in the market for programming, it is important for your agencies to carefully assess the impact of this transaction on the ability of viable content providers of all types to obtain distribution of their content," they wrote.

Sens Klobuchar and Lee's last point was about the potential to raise prices for must-have content, including regional sports networks.