The cable landscape got a little smaller today. Or do say it another way. Customers now have two less options. Charter Communications acquisition of Time Warner Cable for $78 billion has been approved by the US Department of Justice and Federal Communications Commission. The deal goes back to May 2015 but Charter has been courting Time Warner Cable since early 2014. Charter also got approval for its purchase of Bright House Networks. That deal is valued at $10.4 billion. The US Department of Justice put some stipulations on the deal in attempt to appease critics and help customers.
- Charter is not allowed to impede access to streaming content.
- Charter will not be allowed to impose data caps or charge usage-based prices.
- Charter will not be able to charge interconnection fees.
“All three seven-year conditions will help consumers by benefitting [online video provider] competition. The cumulative impact of these conditions will be to provide additional protection for new forms of video programming services offered over the Internet.” ~Wheeler