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Verizon Looking To Buy Comcast or Charter, Says Report (nypost.com)
"Two well-placed sources" told The New York Post that Verizon is considering purchasing a big cable company to help it grow demand for its wireless data products. The source said the most likely targets would be "Charter or Comcast." New York Post reports: Verizon Chief Executive Lowell McAdam may be getting ready to answer rival ATT's moves to buy DirecTV and Time Warner. To be sure, Verizon is not in talks with any cable company and may not ever make such a move. Still, McAdam has been under pressure recently with Verizon's deal to acquire Yahoo still a question mark months after two major hacks of the internet portal were revealed. The wireless giants operate on 4G wireless networks but are preparing to become a real alternative to the cable company with phone, TV and data services. To do that more effectively, the phone companies are pouring money into 5G connections that can work with cable systems to provide more stable coverage for consumers. McAdam has already given Wall Street analysts and investors big hints that he's looking at a combination with, say, a Charter Communications. In a mid-December meeting with Wall Street analysts, McAdam said a get-together between the two "makes industrial sense." Three weeks later, at CES, his comments to friends make it clear that cable distribution is a path he is exploring, perhaps more seriously than first thought. "For regulatory reasons, Verizon can't dominate in FiOS and cable, so it appears to have to set its sights on cable," an industry source said. Charter could be a seller under the right conditions, the source added, emphasizing that Malone and Charter CEO Tom Rutledge are just getting going on their vision for Charter.
If the shoe fits...
The bankers are promoting big mergers again, for there are really large fees in really large mergers, and there is an expectation that those mergers are more likely to receive minimal scrutiny with the new administration. Interesting times ahead.
Two of the most despicable US companies, uniting to create even more power to gouge their customers.
"we're looking to begin the dismantling of cable across the US and force the American public to use over-priced and highly unreliable wireless services with massive overages if they exceed their data caps, so we wanna buy Comcast or Charter to start that process."
FTFY
Of all the things that are going to come out of the next 4 years the nonstop anti-consumer mergers (and the inevitable round after round of layoffs) is going to suck the hardest. This is pretty much why progressives fought to keep the $2 trillion in cash sitting offshore outside of American. Companies have pretty much admitted that almost none of that is going into R&D and instead they plan to spend it on M&A (Mergers and Acquisitions).
You mentioned "next 4 years" as if that were a Trump thing, but you've got it backwards.
Trump appears to be completely pro-consumer in his dealings with corporations; or in other words, a "populist" leader.
Recently he came out against the anti-consumer policies of big pharma, and intends to put pressure on them to reduce consumer costs overall.
He's met with several companies and suggested that there will be a tariff on off-shored work, with the result that several companies are pledging to keep work in America.
He's also convinced Boeing to reduce costs, which isn't a consumer benefit per-se, but it saves the government from being fleeced by Boeing a little.
It really appears that he's serious about making things better for the people. He's done a small amount before being elected, and appears to be trying to keep that campaign promise.
When the article about minimum H1B salaries of $100K, people were saying "well, he got one thing right".
Give him a chance.
He might actually make things better.
since the tail end of Obama's first term. Talking. No action. Same thing with Boeing. Lots of talk. No action. As soon as everybody's eyes are off it'll be BAU.
Obama at least cock blocked the AT&T/Comcast. Yeah, Trump's said he's against it. But at this point that's a little like saying you're against Hitler and Stalin. It's not a controversial stance.
I don't need to give Trump a chance. One look at the cavalcade of billionaires he's nominated for his cabinet (that guy who used to run Carls Jr is particularly bad) and I know where this is going. While I'm on the subject I've got friends who live and breath because of Obamacare. So far their 'alternative' is selling insurance across state lines; an idea that has been vetoed in the past because it just means the companies incorporate in whichever state has the weakest consumer protections. Meanwhile I get to go back to worrying about how the fuck I'm gonna afford Cobra if I change jobs.
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