The Los Angeles Times reported Thursday that a four-hour hearing in Downtown L.A. staged by Charter Communications to get public reaction to its $67-billion plan to buy Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks drew dozens of enthusiastic supporters – and some vocal critics.

During the session, Charter discussed plans to provide affordable Internet service for some of Southern California’s poor residents, a key selling point for community group leaders in attendance. Charter pledged to begin offering low-income students and seniors a $14.99-a-month high-speed Internet service plan within six months of the merger closing. The plan would offer Internet speeds at around 30 megabits per second, higher than what is typically offered in lower-priced Internet plans available to poor consumers.

Critics, however, said the company should provide its low-cost Internet service to all low-income residents in the region. Some contended the increased market share would give Charter too much influence in the fast-evolving video streaming service business, and it would have an incentive to encourage customers to pay for traditional bundles of cable TV channels as well as adopt policies that put upstart streaming services at a disadvantage.