States are joining the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the proposed merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable announced last month, according to Reuters. Pennsylvania's attorney general's office is looking into the legality of the merger under the federal antitrust law, which can be enforced at the state and local level to prevent monopolies and companies that merge to reduce competition. 

Comcast's Vice President, David Cohen, argued that the proposed merger would combine separate markets in different areas, not changing the competition. However, critics like former FCC chair Michael Copps have argued that the merger would continue a trend in allowing companies to become massive gatekeepers who can limit consumer choice in both service and content. 

Quartz recently reported that nearly one in three Americans have no choice when it comes to internet provider and another third chose between two providers. Many more Americans are unable to afford the high prices charged for internet access. In Philadelphia, Comcast's internet essentials program serves just 9 percent of eligible low-income families, leaving thousands others unconnected.