Guess Who Else Doesn't Trust Comcast? Sen. Al Franken

Ever since news broke of the Comcast / Time Warner Cable merger, more than a few eyebrows have been raised. Comcast is the number one cable provider in the country and Time Warner Cable is number two. Many, including myself, feel that such a merger won’t benefit consumers in any way. But now a more prominent voice has joined that chorus; Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.).

According to The Huffington Post, Franken sent a letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler this week to express his reservations about the Comcast / Time Warner Cable deal. More specifically, Franken pointed to Comcast’s broken promises of mergers past; for instance, Comcast’s agreement to market a $50 standalone Internet service, as well as the company’s sketchy behavior in the area of net neutrality.

In the letter, Franken said that “Recent history, including Comcast’s adherence to the legal obligations it owes the public, should be taken into account when deciding whether to permit further consolidation in the cable and broadband networks.”

Comcast has pushed several questionable deals past the FCC, undoubtedly helped by promises to meet the obligations Franken refers to in his letter. Unfortunately, it seems that the company has done a less-than-stellar job keeping its end of those bargains. The FCC needs to take a more firm stance this time around and approach the review of this deal understanding that it can no longer take Comcast at its word.

It looks like the FCC is in the early stages of looking at the deal, so we’ll definitely be hearing more about it in the coming weeks and, maybe, months. Keep it here and we’ll keep you updated.

Oh, one last thing about Comcast — someone shared a pretty funny video with me today, which I’ve embedded below. It’s a nice message from a Comcast employee who wants to reassure you about the Time Warner Cable deal. The company has your best interests at heart. Wink.