Sen. Sanders gins up Comcast opposition citing Level 3 dispute

Sanders’ outreach materials say the Level 3 dispute is an “ominous sign” of how Comcast will behave after the merger.

“In the midst of two highly extensive Federal review processes, when you would think Comcast would act with the utmost caution, the company has told Level 3, a Netflix affiliate, that it will not allow Level 3 to stream Netflix video to Comcast subscribers unless Level 3 agrees to pay substantial new fees,” his website says. 

A Sanders aide said the effort is hitting home. In the last day, more than 1,700 letters were sent to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) using Sanders’ site.

Will Wiquist, a spokesman for Sanders, said the senator is focused on Comcast’s actions in relation to the merger review, but added that it can also be viewed in a net-neutrality context.

Comcast says it is treating Level 3 the same as its competitors.

Level 3 is “claiming it’s entitled to be treated differently and trying to force Comcast to give [it] unlimited and highly imbalanced traffic and shift all the cost onto Comcast and its customers,” according to a statement from Comcast.

Analysts at Stifel Nicolaus wrote in a note Tuesday that the allegations “could further complicate [Comcast’s] push to receive final regulatory approval for the NBCU deal by year-end.”