Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) is not happy with an e-mail allegedly sent by Time Warner Cable to House and Senate Republicans using the Obamacare issue to take aim at broadcasters.
In a letter to TWC Chairman Glenn Britt Friday, Waxman pointed to a copy of an e-mail with an "@twccable e-mail extesion (the person's name and content are redacted) with the following closing line: "Next time you think about helping the broadcasters--particularly the networks--read this." The "this" being a story in the Weekly Standard about an NBC effort to educate people about the new healthcare law. Some Republicans have tied defunding of Obamacare to funding the government, which led to the shutdown on Oct. 1.
"Could you please explain why this email was sent and what purpose it serves?" Waxman wrote. "A broadcaster has a public service obligation and should be informing viewers about the new options for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act. On the other hand, a cable company should not be pandering to the worst instincts of the reckless Republican extremists that seem to be running the House of Representatives."
"We are looking into this and will respond directly to the Congressman," said Time Warner Cable in an e-mailed statement.
The National Association of Broadcasters declined comment.
