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FCC Puts Comcast and Time Warner Merger On Hold

Posted by samzenpus on from the not-yet dept.

An anonymous reader writes "In a public letter to both Time Warner and Comcast, the FCC said they are putting a hold on the merger deal between the two companies. Citing inadequate responses by both cable companies to earlier FCC requests for additional information, the agency is stopping the clock on its 180-day review period until late October. Comcast and Time Warner together control most of the Internet services in the country. However, the companies said they are in different regions and are not going to suppress the competition.

6 of 132 comments (clear)

  1. Comcast & Warner Cable Bullshit by GeekHillbilly · · Score: 5, Interesting

    is getting pretty deep.Competition?In Most areas,THERE IS NO COMPETITION! Like here where I live in Southeastern Kentucky,It is either Warner Cable or nothing. And yes,customer service sucks like a Black Hole.

    --
    The Geek Hillbilly
    1. Re:Comcast & Warner Cable Bullshit by Solandri · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Yes it will affect competition. The moment Comcast started charging Netflix for access, Netflix became a customer. Every website out there is now a potential customer.

      As long as Comcast and Time Warner are competing with each other, Netflix can say "Well Comcast only charged us this much, can you lower your price?" to Time Warner. But if they merge, that reduces competition. Websites have to pay more, and they'll have to charge their customers (you and me) more to compensate.

  2. If the FCC and Congress was honest.... by Lumpy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Internet would be deemed a public utility and regulated as such.
    It's raging BS that all the companies involved were given buttloads of public dollars to build out the infrastructure and did not even come close to meeting the promises they made.

    Should they merge? yes, only if they are forced to common carrier status for internet and fall under telephone regulation and requirements.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  3. Re:Abolish the FCC. by sir-gold · · Score: 3, Interesting

    You really want Eric Holder (who thinks backdoors should be left open for police, and that search warrants shouldn't be neccesary for drone use or cell-tapping) controlling our countries information infrastructure?

    We would end up with rules requiring all new TV sets to have always-on cameras built in, in order to spy on the TV viewers (like the viewscreen from 1984)

  4. Re:or not renew govt enforced monopoly franchise by sir-gold · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It doesn't work to give the franchise to a smaller competitor. As soon as the smaller competitor wins the contract, it just gets bought-out by whatever mega-corp you were trying to keep out in the first place.

    This happened twice in the small town where I grew up. Every time the city tried to get rid of Charter by picking someone else, Charter would just by that other company out after the contract was awarded.

  5. Re:All Slashdotters in favor of the merger... by knightghost · · Score: 3, Interesting

    100%? What was I thinking?!? No, just 99% and the merger is almost all cons. Totally disregardable.