Minnesota Sen. Al Franken joined CBS This Morning from Capitol Hill to explain to Charlie Rose why he opposes the planned deal between Comcast and Time Warner Cable. Franken, who is fighting the takeover, explained to Rose that the deal wouldn’t benefit the American public.
This is a merger which would create a behemoth that would be anti-competitive and not in the public interest, and that’s — DOJ, the Department of Justice, has to decide whether this is anti-competitive and it is. The FCC has to decide whether it’s in the public interest, which it isn’t. This is the number one cable company buying the number three cable TV company. It’s the number one internet provider buying the number three internet provider. They would have 57% of all broadband internet. This would create one huge behemoth that has way too much power. We need more competition in this sector and not less.
Rose then mentioned that Comcast and TWC claim they need to join forces in order to compete with companies such as Apple and Amazon. Franken doesn’t agree:
Well, if you’re talking about getting your TV – broadband internet is the way to get your TV, people who are cutting the cord, the cable, they’re going to the internet, and this company would control 57% of all broadband internet in this country. What this would mean to consumers is higher prices, less choice, and if it’s even possible, worse service.
Later in the interview, Franken offered some advice to people with political aspirations:
Sometimes students ask me how do you become a U.S. Senator and I say do comedy for about 35 years and then run for the Senate. It works every time.