WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, pressed Comcast Executive Vice President David Cohen Wednesday about how Comcast’s proposed merger with Time Warner Cable will affect consumers and local jobs. At a Judiciary Committee hearing examining the merger, Senator Coons echoed constituent concerns about the cable provider’s customer service record, pricing, jobs, net neutrality, and commitment to diversity in programming.
“The main concerns I’ve heard from my constituents in Delaware have to do with customer service, future price, and employment,” Senator Coons said. “Are there any assurances you can give us today about how the significant benefits – that you’ve described both in writing and in testimony – to this merger will inure in some ways, not just to shareholders, but also to customers?”
On issues with customer service, Cohen conceded, “This is a place where we’re having issues, and I can tell you as a company, we are laser-focused on trying to improve the customer experience.”
On Delaware jobs: “Most of our jobs are the customer-facing jobs of technicians in call centers and local management of our systems, and we don’t anticipate any reductions in those jobs.”
Cohen also denied that the transaction would result in increased prices for Comcast customers.
On February 13, 2014, Comcast announced an agreement to purchase Time Warner Cable for $45.2 billion in stock. If approved, the deal would combine the first and fourth largest pay-TV providers and first and second largest cable-TV providers in the country. The combined company would serve 30 million cable subscribers, approximately 30 percent of the overall pay-TV market. Wednesday’s Judiciary hearing examined concerns over the size and power of a post-merger Comcast and how these changes will affect consumers. The merger is currently under review by the FCC and Department of Justice.