Welcome to Comcast Country

[Commentary] Comcast argues that its acquisition of Time warner Cable will not decrease competition among cable television or broadband Internet providers because the two companies do not directly compete -- though the reason for that is that they already maintain virtual monopolies in many of their service areas. In Comcast’s case, that monopoly is predicated upon exerting overwhelming political control.

Starting in Philadelphia, Comcast built a hometown political machine and turned it into a national juggernaut. In 2013, the company spent $18.8 million on federal lobbying, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. That’s more than all but six other corporations. The company is also a major donor, making nearly $5.5 million in federal political contributions during the 2012 cycle. Recipients of Comcast’s largess include President Obama and Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation in Washington, a veritable Comcast caucus. The effort to sideline concerns about consumer protection was pioneered in Philadelphia in 1999, when Comcast was aided by City Hall in keeping a rival company, RCN, out of the local cable market. Philadelphia is a digital-age company town where the proper relationship between business and government has been turned on its head. Welcome, indeed, to Comcast Country.

[Denvir is a senior staff writer at Philadelphia City Paper]