Public Interest Leadership, Par Excellence

The hits just keep on coming for those working to protect the free flow of information.

This morning, six senators – Franken, Markey, Warren, Wyden, Sanders and Blumenthal – called on the FCC and Department of Justice to stop the disastrous merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable. In a letter to regulators, these senators wrote that Mega Comcast’s “unmatched power in the telecommunications industry would lead to higher prices, fewer choices, and poorer quality services for Americans—inhibiting U.S. consumers’ ability to fully benefit from modern technologies and American businesses’ capacity to innovate and compete on a global scale.”

Hear, hear! We know that Comcast is a big time Washington powerbroker. It’s slings cash around, and employs a legion of lobbyists. It’s accustomed to getting its way, and for years it has. Thanks to Big Cable’s influence peddling, competition and quality of service have suffered. We’re all worse off. Standing up to the biggest bully on the block is not easy, but these senators did the right thing.

“Taking on Big Cable is not easy, but it is essential. Kudos to these public interest champions for standing strong. This is what leadership is all about,” said former FCC Commissioner and Common Cause Special Adviser Michael Copps.

The senators’ letter comes after a spate of great news for the public interest. Last week dozens of public interest groups and their allies called on the FCC to stop Comcast. Then news broke that regulators may block the merger.

Sen. Franken is right: the tide is turning against the merger. Already, a record number of Americans have spoken out against Comcast, but we need your help to push past 1,000,000 comments at the commission. There’s still time to make your voice heard. Take action today.