The de Blasio administration has weighed in on Comcast's proposed acquisition of Time Warner Cable, and while the mayor is not opposing the merger, he has set a high bar for approval.

In a letter to the New York State Public Service Commission, Mayor Bill de Blasio laid out criticisms of the performance of both companies along with a series of recommendations that the combined company would need to adopt.

Most notably, he called out Time Warner Cable for poor customer service and Comcast for its much criticized "Internet Essentials" program, which is meant to provide low-cost broadband service to low-income residents.

In addition to an improved program for affordable broadband access, he insisted on pricing transparency; eventually upgrading from a mix of coaxial and fiber optic cable to an all-fiber network; improving customer service; creating "meaningful and stable support for public, education and government channels"; and committing to Net Neutrality and an open Internet.

The letter, dated Aug. 6, was written in response to a change that was made in the Public Service Law in May, which asserted that the merger must be in the public interest, and not just in accordance with existing laws and regulations, for the commission to give it its blessing.

If Comcast does not commit to following the administration's recommendations, "we urge the Commission to find that the corporation has failed to demonstrate that the proposed transaction is in the public interest," the letter concluded.