Franken: 'I don't trust promises' of Comcast, NBC given past experience

Sen. Al Franken said he doesn't trust the promises made by the Comcast and NBC Universal CEOs "from my experience in this business."

Franken (D-Minn.), a member of the Senate Antitrust subcommittee, said his previous career "has given me reason to be very concerned about this potential merger."

A former actor and comedian, Franken worked for NBC for many years as a writer and performer on "Saturday Night Live."

"It matters who runs our media companies," he said. "The media are our source of entertainment. They're also how we get information about the world.

"So when the same company that produces those programs runs the pipes, we have reason to be nervous," he said.

In the past, Franken said, NBC made promises to allow programming it did not own to air on its stations. But instead, it is common practice for networks to demand ownership of independent programming before placing it in primetime lineups.

"It's completely opposite of what NBC said they would do," he said. "You'll have to excuse me if I don't trust these promises."

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts pledged NBC content will be made available to competitors and to consumers online.

Franken said he is also worried this merger will set off another round of media consolidation, similar to when Viacom bought CBS and Disney bought ABC.

"The next thing we know is AT&T and Verizon think they have to buy a network in order to compete," he said.