susan crawford, thank you for joining us. what does this mean for innovation? susan: in order for anyone to reach a customer, to start a new business in the united states, you need to have internet access. through this merger, comcast would control north of 50% of high internet capacity in the united states. the justice department has concerns about the antitrust elements of the merger. comcast would be in the position to control, constrain, squeeze do all kinds of things to online businesses with that amount of power. cory: this is really a look at specifically the competitive issues here but not the issues around customer service. we know comcast ranks dead last in customer service. yesterday there was a report on the show that most people would completely give up tv that would never want to give up their netflix. i wonder if that's part of the same thing, or if this isn't something the doj would look at at all. susan: the fcc has defined there is a public benefit to the merger, not just that it doesn't harm people, but that it affirmatively helps them. given

. >> sreenivasan: susan crawford is a professor at cardozo law school in new york city. she also served as president obama's special assistant for technology. she says people today expect to have internet access anytime, in the same way they expect water from a faucet or power from an electrical outlet, much like a public utility. >> in america, we're in this weird moment, where although it feels like a utility to most americans, and they need, they know they can't have a house without it or business without it. it's a luxury that actually is a utility. >> sreenivasan: a luxury, she says because a handful of internet service providers, like time warner and comcast, have cornered the market on broadband, leaving customers with fewer choices and higher prices-- on average $30 and $60 a month. >> that's happened because of a lack of regulation. doesn't happen by magic. it happens because it's in their interests to control markets and reap steady profits. >> sreenivasan: although the federal communications commission officially classified broadband internet as a public utili