How to Win Friends and Influence Washington

If it goes through, the pending merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable will be a disaster for consumers; but Comcast’s operators in DC are making sure those in government make the “right” decision – at least, right for Comcast. For over a decade, the PTC has been pounding away on the issue of Cable Choice. At last, some cracks are starting to show; but a huge threat to consumers is the proposed merger between the nation’s top two cable providers, Comcast and Time Warner Cable. Comcast’s own Executive Vice-President, David Cohen, admitted as much when he said, “We're certainly not promising that customer bills are going to go down, or even increase less rapidly." (Notably, TWC and Comcast have also been named the nation’s two worst companies in terms of customer satisfaction.) The PTC has led the fight against the merger, and recently joined a coalition of organizations committed to opposing it; but Comcast has literally billions of dollars and vast influence at its disposal – and isn’t shy about using it. The Verge recently revealed that Comcast representatives have been handing out "priority assistance" cards to Capitol Hill staffers and inside-the-Beltway journalists, which give them special access and assure that their customer service issues are addressed immediately. In other words, average consumers may have to spend hours on the phone with Comcast’s customer service reps, arguing over extra fees for services they didn’t order; but Comcast is making sure the Washington elite who will decide if their merger goes through are getting their problems solved instantly. MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! Contact your senators and representative in Congress, and make sure Comcast isn’t the only “voice” they hear on this issue! Click on the links to find and contact your senators and representative.