FCC Will Combine Comcast/TWC, Charter Deals in Same Docket

Comcast’s spin-off of systems to Charter, which is contingent on FCC approval of the company’s proposed merger with Time Warner Cable, will be folded into the existing docket (docket number 14-57) for the latter deal, according to an FCC source.

The FCC is still waiting for Comcast to file its application for the Charter systems (the “divestiture transaction”) and public interest filings, after which it will make sure those contain the need info, then issue a public notice establishing that the deals have been combined into a single docket.

The commission anticipates a three-part pleading cycle with three due dates—one for comments and petitions to deny the deal, one for responses to comments and oppositions to the aforementioned petitions, and a third for responses and oppositions.

The Charter system spin-off/trade is a complicated deal, so don't look for that filing for at least a few weeks.

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.