U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee sets Comcast hearing

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on Comcast's plan to merge with Time Warner Cable in April and another on retransmission issues in late March, the committee said on Wednesday.

Senator Patrick Leahy, who chairs the committee, said the panel would meet on April 2 to discuss plans by Comcast, the No. 1 U.S. cable operator, to buy TWC for $45.2 billion. TWC is the No. 2 U.S. cable operator.

On March 26, the panel will discuss the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act, known as STELA, which expires at the end of 2014 and tackles, among other issues, the retransmission of broadcasting content by satellite companies. Congress must reauthorize the measure.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Sandra Maler)