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FCC Puts Comcast and Time Warner Merger On Hold
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.
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
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.
Anyone else think this is simply an attempt to let the issue calm down and be forgotten by the public?
My experience is AT&T is worse than Comcast.
"However, the companies said that they are in different regions and are not going to suppress the competition."
Technically, they are telling the truth, because they had already suppressed all competition the BEFORE merging, and there isn't any left to suppress.
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.
However, the companies said that they are in different regions and are not going to suppress the competition.
By surreptitiously "agreeing" to operate and different areas, they ARE suppressing competition. In most areas your "one" cable operator is the only game in town for broadband.
DirecTV might be great for TV, but not so much for internet.
Actually I think their argument is closer to:
Trust us, Comcast and Time Warner have already colluded to suppress competition, so the merger won't change anything.
--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
Can you name any pros for consumers? Do you believe what Comcast says about needing to get larger because their margins are too small?
Is it a good thing that the merger would raise the barrier to entry of any part of the larger market that Comcast would control?
Please, I'd like to know what you think is a good reason for this merger to go forward.
If I hear the "no reduction in competition" argument one more time, I am going to have an aneurysm. I don't even need to say what is wrong with that argument. This is about the immense power Comcast will gain by controlling a full third of Internet subscribers. Lawmakers in congress whine and moan about giving the FCC too much power with Title II, and yet some of them support letting such a behemoth, unchained monster loose on everyone? This is beyond ridiculous.
The FCC got a ridiculously high amount of feedback for this issue, so they have to take it slow. They still plan on letting it happen, just have to make a show of it first.
Good-bye