Rep Cárdenas battles Comcast over programming dispute and TWC merger

Rep Tony Cárdenas (D-CA) is urging the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission to examine Comcast's contract negotiations with small programmers as they review Comcast's proposed acquisition of Time Warner Cable.

His interest was sparked by a dispute between Comcast and Estrella TV, a Spanish-language station that is demanding payment from Comcast. Rep Cárdenas said in his letter to Attorney General Eric Holder and FCC Chairman Wheeler that he does not intend to "tak[e] sides in the current contractual dispute." However, he said antitrust regulators should examine whether Comcast's increased size would give it too much power over small programmers.