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Portland and other opponents want the Federal Communications Commission to block the deal, or put strict conditions on it to protect subscribers. Others, including Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown, are enthusiastic supporters.

(Bloomberg Photo)

Kate Brown

Comcast's pending, $45 billion takeover of Time Warner Cable has divided politicians across the country, with some jurisdictions – including Portland – warning that the deal would create a mammoth company that could deter competition and raise prices.

Portland and other opponents want the Federal Communications Commission to block the deal, or put strict conditions on it to protect subscribers.

Others, including Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown, are enthusiastic supporters.

On Monday, the online tech journal The Verge looked at some of the letters of support from Comcast's political supporters and found they were ghostwritten – sometimes word-for-word – by the company itself. That isn't particularly surprising: Politicians often write letters of support at the behest of their supporters, and legislators frequently propose bills written by lobbyists.

Still, it's revealing to see who Comcast has lined up in support of its bid.

The Verge notes that Comcast has contributed nearly $10,000 to Brown's campaigns for secretary of state. (Comcast is also a big supporter of Gov. John Kitzhaber, who has not registered an opinion with the FCC on the Time Warner deal.)

Through a public records request, The Verge found that Brown worked closely with Comcast in writing her letter, using language the company had proposed.

Tony Green, Brown's spokesman, said that the letter followed a conversation between the secretary of state and a Comcast representative she knows.

"They talked about some of the local projects that Comcast had contributed to," he said.

The language in the letter was drawn from that conversation, he said, highlighting in particular Comcast's program to provide low-cost Internet service to low-income families. She urges the FCC to approve the Time Warner deal.

Again, this is not unusual. But it's a reminder of the close ties between politicians and their corporate supporters, and how corporations hope to use those ties to influence public policy.

Comcast is the largest cable company in the Northwest, with 600,000 subscribers in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Time Warner does not offer cable TV service in the state, but a quirky side-effect of the deal would transfer Charter Communications subscribers in coastal, central and southern Oregon to Comcast if the Time Warner deal goes through.

The FCC continues to review the deal and could have a decision in the spring.

Note: This article has been updated with additional detail on Brown's letter, comment from her office and to note that she does, in fact, urge the FCC to approve the deal. A previous version of this article stated that she did not.



-- Mike Rogoway

503-294-7699; @rogoway