--- description: Senator Al Franken has called on Netflix CEO Reed Hasting to take a public stance on the proposed merger of Comcast and Time Warner Cable. title: Comcast-TWC Merger: Sen. Franken Woos Netflix image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4e53116fd87c6550/69868636e8524b19ef601e76/comcast-truck-logo.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [deals](/tag/deals/) ## deals Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Sen. Franken Urges Netflix to Join His Quest to Scupper Comcast-TWC Merger by [Stephanie Burnett](/author/stephanie-burnett/) ## Stephanie Burnett Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 17, 2014 6:36 AM CUT  <> on February 13, 2014 in Miami, Florida. <> on February 13, 2014 in Miami, Florida.Joe Raedle—Getty Images by [Stephanie Burnett](/author/stephanie-burnett/) ## Stephanie Burnett Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 17, 2014 6:36 AM CUT Senator Al Franken on Wednesday [called](http://bgr.com/2014/04/16/senator-franken-letter-to-netflix/ "undefined") on Netflix CEO Reed Hasting to take a public stance on the proposed merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable. “My concern is that Comcast will be able to use its clout in the broadband distribution market to obtain an anticompetitive advantage in the content market,” wrote Franken in a [letter](http://www.franken.senate.gov/files/letter/140416Comcast-Netflix.pdf "undefined"). “Comcast can achieve this by blocking, degrading, raising costs for or otherwise interfering with unaffiliated content that relies on Comcast’s distribution network to reach consumers.” Franken is an unabashed critic of the proposed deal, and his missive to the Netflix camp may lure the online streaming company into locking horns with Comcast once again. Earlier this year, Netflix [protested](http://bgr.com/2014/04/14/comcast-netflix-streaming-speeds/ "undefined") Comcast’s additional fees, ostensibly to help safeguard high-quality streaming for its own customers. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/66099/comcast-twc-merger-franken-netflix/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/66099/comcast-twc-merger-franken-netflix/"},"headline":"Sen. Franken Urges Netflix to Join His Quest to Scupper Comcast-TWC Merger","datePublished":"2014-04-17T06:36:27.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:01:59.888Z","description":"Vocal merger critic Senator Al Franken has called on Netflix CEO Reed Hasting to take a public stance on the proposed merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable, warning of \"an anticompetitive advantage in the content market\" if it goes ahead","url":"https://time.com/66099/comcast-twc-merger-franken-netflix/","keywords":["deals","Tech","Netflix","Time Warner Cable","Comcast","merger"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4e53116fd87c6550/69868636e8524b19ef601e76/comcast-truck-logo.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Stephanie Burnett","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/stephanie-burnett/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4e53116fd87c6550/69868636e8524b19ef601e76/comcast-truck-logo.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Cable Giant Comcast To Acquire Time Warner Cable","caption":"Cable Giant Comcast To Acquire Time Warner Cable","creditText":"Joe Raedle—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/deals/","name":"deals"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/66099/comcast-twc-merger-franken-netflix/","name":"Sen. Franken Urges Netflix to Join His Quest to Scupper Comcast-TWC Merger"}}]}] ```