Dish Network, Cogent Communications and consumer advocacy groups advocated preferred conditions for AT&T’s planned US$48.5bn purchase of DirecTV.
In a meeting with FCC officials, the groups said that post-merger, AT&T should have to offer customers…
Dish Network, Cogent Communications and consumer advocacy groups advocated preferred conditions for AT&T’s planned US$48.5bn purchase of DirecTV.
In a meeting with FCC officials, the groups said that post-merger, AT&T should have to offer customers standalone broadband at speeds of at least 25 Mbps – the official benchmark speed – at a reasonable price and not oblige them to buy bundled packages.
AT&T should also comply with the FCC’s new, stricter net neutrality regulations for ISPs for seven years after the merger, even if lawsuits against those rules are successful, the group of critics argued.
The parties – which included Free Press, New America’s Open Technology Institute and Public Knowledge – also requested that AT&T include all online video services in any data caps, as well as restrictions on how the merged company handles traffic from other companies.
FCC and Department of Justice officials are reportedly nearing a decision to clear the merger, which would combine the nation’s largest second-largest wireless carrier and number one satellite company, subject to certain conditions. AT&T is reportedly set to meet with the FCC in the next few days. The telco has said it expects to close the deal by the end of June.
The critics have expressed concerns that the merger will give AT&T greater incentive to favour its own video services for the benefit of bundle customers and thwart competing OTT services.
“Should the transaction proceed, AT&T will obtain a massive video distribution business that it will have every incentive to protect from competitive threats, including existing and emerging OTT services such as Sling TV and Netflix, among others,” they said in a filing with the FCC.
