If you’re a Time Warner Cable customer, welcome back! The Internet missed you. Many customers nationwide reported an outage this morning, though Time Warner claims that all customers are now back online. [More]
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Initial Questions Offer Hope That FCC Isn’t Going Easy On Comcast/TWC Merger
By 8.22.14
While the FCC’s public comment period for the Comcast/Time Warner Cable merger remain open through Monday, the commission has already sent off its first round of questions to the companies involved. And judging by both the quantity and quality of the things being asked, it looks like the FCC isn’t ready to rubber-stamp the deal. [More]
52 Ill-Informed Mayors Agree: The Comcast/TWC Merger Is Greatest Thing Ever
By 8.22.14
The gleaming USB drive that is Comcast HQ towers above the rest of the skyline here in Philadelphia, and the company is set to build another gleaming spire as a monument to its greatness right across the street. Just a few blocks away from the nation’s largest cable and Internet provider sits Mayor Michael “Why do people always laugh at my last name?” Nutter, who recently rounded up a bunch of other mayors to tell the FCC how awesome Comcast’s merger with Time Warner Cable would be. Of course, missing from that list of mayors were the leaders of New York City and Los Angeles, the two cities that would be most affected by the deal. [More]
4 Reasons Consumers Union Has Asked The FCC To Block The Comcast/TWC Merger
By 8.21.14
The full regulatory approval process for the Comcast/TWC merger has months left to go, but we’re getting down to the wire on one part of it: the deadline for public comments is Monday. Our colleagues down the hall at Consumers Union, the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports, have now officially asked the FCC to block this thing, and with good reason. [More]
Now’s Your Chance: FCC Public Comment Period For Comcast/TWC Merger Ends Monday
By 8.21.14
Comcast and Time Warner Cable announced their intention to merge into wedded corporate bliss back in the middle of February. Now, six months later, the process is still rolling along. Monday — August 25 — is the deadline for members of the public to leave comments with the FCC about the merger. Got thoughts? You have three days left to make them heard. [More]
Netflix Is Also Paying A Toll To Time Warner Cable To Improve Speeds To Users
By 8.19.14
Months after Comcast and Verizon allowed Netflix data to bottleneck so badly that the streaming video company had no other option but to pay for a more direct connection to end-users, Time Warner Cable has confirmed that it too is now collecting a toll from Netflix. [More]
Former Comcast Employee Makes Best Argument Yet For Blocking Time Warner Cable Merger
By 8.19.14
Since Comcast announced it would be buying Time Warner Cable, we’ve brought you story after story highlighting the various reasons that the merger should be stopped. But for all the thousands of words, charts, graphs and maps we’ve used, none has summed up the reason for blocking the merger than a recent quote from a former Kabletown staffer. [More]
3 Myths Comcast Is Telling The FCC About TWC Merger
By 8.15.14
Comcast has been justifiably criticized for blatantly trying to curry favor with the FCC by trying to spend $110,000 to sponsor a fundraiser honoring FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, but while the Kabletown Krew shrugged off those allegations, Comcast EVP David “The Merger Whisperer” Cohen was meeting with the FCC to push the company’s slate of semi-truths about its pending acquisition of Time Warner Cable. [More]
Comcast Decides To Not Spend $110K On Party For FCC Commissioner
By 8.14.14
Comcast — no stranger to lining the pockets of those who can help the company get what it wants (or rewarding them afterward with high-paying jobs) — was befuddled earlier this week when it and Time Warner Cable were heavily criticized for plunking down a total of $132,000 to sponsor a dinner honoring FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn… who just happens to be in the process of reviewing the two companies’ pending merger. Realizing that maybe this might look like something just short of bribery, the cable giants have decided to pull their money — sort of. [More]
Comcast Spends $110k On Award Dinner For FCC Commissioner, Doesn’t See Why Anyone Thinks That’s A Problem
By 8.12.14
Comcast really wants to buy Time Warner Cable. Really really. And they have no shortage of ways, both subtle and obvious, to try to push the odds farther in their favor. Targeted philanthropy and sponsorships are definitely a part of that, and Comcast is usually happy to take the credit. So while spending six figures to sponsor an event honoring a sitting FCC commissioner who gets to make decisions about things like media mergers might seem a little out of bounds to the likes of you and me, Comcast is shocked, shocked that we would think they could possibly have an ulterior motive. [More]
Time Warner And Comcast Just Happen To Boost Customer Speeds Near Google Fiber
By 8.4.14
When Google Fiber entered the Internet service provider market in Kansas City, the strangest things began to happen. Current providers Comcast, Time Warner Cable, which operate in different parts of the metropolitan area, had to start acting like they were in a competitive business. Last week, bost Comcast and Time Warner announced that they’re doubling Internet speeds for most customers, with no price increase. [More]
Time Warner Cable Keeps Charging Customers More For Internet Because They Can
By 8.1.14
Time Warner Cable customers have been seeing their bills climbing at a pretty steady clip over the past few years. For all that TWC might complain about needing more negotiating power with content companies, though, the cable half of the equation isn’t the problem. Instead, all that nickel-and-diming comes right from the cord most consumers won’t be able to cut: broadband access. [More]
FCC Chair Asks Time Warner Cable Why It Treats Dodgers Fans So Badly
By 7.30.14
As we’ve discussed in an earlier post, some 70% of people in L.A. are currently unable to watch the L.A. Dodgers because SportsNet L.A., a station jointly owned by the first-place team and the bottom-of-the-barrel cable company, won’t let other pay-TV carriers air the channel without paying a premium. While the FCC has generally stayed out of such messes, FCC Chair Tom Wheeler has let TWC know that he’s not exactly happy with the current situation in Los Angeles. [More]
You Have Until August 25 To Tell The FCC Your Thoughts About The Comcast-Time Warner Cable Merger
By 7.11.14
It’s been five months since Comcast and Time Warner Cable first announced their intention to merge, but the regulatory gauntlet they need to get through first is just now ramping up. Earlier this week, the FCC announced the team doing the review, and now they’ve announced their timeline for taking comments on the matter. [More]
Dish Asks FCC To Block Comcast/Time Warner Cable Merger
By 7.9.14
If you could be any player in the pay-TV industry these days, you probably wouldn’t choose to be Dish Network. It’s being sued by broadcasters for its DVR; its one competitor in the satellite market is trying to merge with AT&T, which puts Dish’s future in doubt. So it’s little surprise that Dish isn’t thrilled about the potential marriage of Comcast and Time Warner Cable. [More]
FCC Hires Opponent Of Comcast/NBC Deal To Review Comcast/Time Warner Cable Merger
By 7.8.14
Comcast and Time Warner Cable have been treating their merger as a foregone conclusion ever since they announced their betrothal in February. And with the companies cozying up to regulators, dropping huge piles of cash on lobbyists and campaign contributions, and making themselves look as good as possible, it’s not hard to see why the execs at the top would be feeling confident. But the FCC has just made a few key hires that make it look like the agency might actually push back against Comcast’s financial onslaught. [More]
AT&T Says DirecTV Merger Will Save Money, But Not For Customers
By 6.25.14
While the folks at AT&T and DirecTV try to claim that their proposed merger is different from the pending marriage of Comcast and Time Warner Cable, both deals have one bit of double-talk in common, with the companies all saying their respective deals will help them be more efficient and save money while no one is willing to commit to passing those savings on to customers. [More]
Here’s What Netflix, Dish & Others Said To The FCC About The Comcast/TWC Merger
The period for leaving a comment about the Comcast/TWC merger with the FCC closed on Monday. Roughly a zillion members of the public — individuals, nonprofits, state and federal politicians, telecom companies, tech trade groups, and consumer advocates — have weighed in, including several big names in pay TV who are staunchly against the deal. [More]