California ALJ Recommends Comcast/TWC Approval

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Amidst much hand-wringing about the prospects for the Comcast/Time Warner Cable merger, the companies got some good news Friday (Feb. 13).

A California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) administrative law judge has recommended that the state approve the merger with over a dozen conditions, including improving customer service, backup batteries for VoIP service (one of the issues the FCC is mulling as part of the IP transition), extending Comcast's Internet Essentials low cost broadband program to TWC customers, and upgrading K-12 Internet infrastructure.

The decision points out that the FCC and DOJ may have other conditions, or come to another conclusion. The decision also focuses on phone and broadband, and does not address video programming.

For the full story go to Multichannel.com.

John Eggerton
John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.