Comcastic Planet

On Wednesday, Comcast and other cable executives are scheduled to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee as the Philadelphia corporate behemoth continues its swift march toward national cable and Internet domination.

Recovering comedian and Minnesota Democratic Sen. Al Franken has been highly vocal about the proposed $45.2 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable Inc., which would merge the nation's top two providers, a vexing situation to subscribers who already have monthly bills that resemble plane tickets.

The New York Times' David Carr raises some important questions in his Monday column.

Comcast basically owns the Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago markets, while Time Warner dominates New York, Los Angeles and Dallas. CEO Brian Robers has said that without the merger, "The alternative was to sit around and let cable die a slow death. The result is, we're not in New York or Los Angeles. How great can that be?"

In what may be the quote of the week — and the week is still young! — Franken told The Inquirer's Bob Fernandez: "I'm concerned that this deal will result in higher prices, fewer choices, and even worse service for consumers." This is a cable/Internet scenario we did not think feasible.

--Karen Heller