Gov. Candidate Teachout Tackles Tech on Primary's Eve

Just one day before the New York Democratic Primary, gubernatorial candidate Zephyr Teachout and running mate Tim Wu are calling for a more robust tech policy in Albany.

Speaking at a press conference in lower Manhattan hosted by Meetup, Wu and Teachout announced they want to block Comcast's $45 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable announced last May. Wu, who clerked for Justice Stephen Breyer and is the Columbia law professor who coined the term "net neutrality," said blocking the merger will save New Yorkers billions of dollars and make room for the little guy in tech.

Wu said New York is traditionally "too quick to jump on companies and try to sue them out of existence because they're challenging old industries. We have a bad tradition of protecting the old guys, the incumbents." For example, he said, the state is investigating New Yorkers who've used Airbnb in order to protect the hotel industry. 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo pledged to review the Time Warner takeover back in May, but his office has not yet released a statement about the merger.

"The wrong approach is just handing out tax subsidies for political loyalties, Wu said. "The right approach is smart enforcement strategies that don't scare investors out of New York."