US telecoms regulator the FCC has paused its self-imposed 180-day shot clock for the review of the planned US$45bn merger between US cablecos Comcast and Time Warner Cable (TWC) until 29 October.
The deadline extension will give the public and…
US telecoms regulator the FCC has paused its self-imposed 180-day shot clock for the review of the planned US$45bn merger between US cablecos Comcast and Time Warner Cable (TWC) until 29 October.
The deadline extension will give the public and shareholders more time to comment on the proposed deal, in response to a request from satellite provider Dish Network.
It also enables the regulator to determine whether it is satisfied with Comcast’s and TWC’s responses to requests for additional information, the FCC said on Friday.
The previous deadline to file replies to responses and oppositions to the deal had been set for 8 October. The FCC, which on Friday was in day 85 of its review, had originally expected to make a final ruling on the merger on or around 6 January.
In late August, the regulator, which is working on new net neutrality rules, asked for additional details about the deal and the cablecos’ operations, including queries about their broadband businesses, competitors in the segment and traffic management tools.
In a statement on Friday, the FCC said that the two operators were late in submitting the additional information and that its staff found “that a number of the answers in each of [their] submissions are incomplete”.
Several industry players have criticised the merger, concerned about reduced competition in the TV and internet markets. But in a public filing dated 23 September, Comcast accused a number of opponents of criticising the deal for opportunistic reasons, saying that the claims had originated from Comcast’s refusal to grant such companies business concessions to win their support.
Comcast formally announced its intention to take over TWC in a US$45.2bn deal in February, outbidding the US’ fourth-largest cableco Charter Communications.
Charter later agreed to buy subscribers being divested by Comcast and TWC to help secure regulatory approvals for the deal.
The US Department of Justice is also conducting an antitrust review of the deal.
