"FCC broadband data show that Charter and Cox California have 25,503 overlapping locations. At 16,485 of these locations (65%), Charter and Cox California are the only two providers offering speeds of at least 1,000 Mbps download. If the Proposed Transaction is approved, customers in those areas will have access to only a single provider for high-speed service and will have no meaningful choice between providers."
"In 2016, the commission approved Charter's acquisition of Time Warner Cable only after imposing conditions on data caps, usage-based pricing, and paid interconnection. Today's order finds those concerns no longer a [concern], indicating a significant shift in regulatory approach to cable industry consolidation."
The proposed Charter and Cox merger raises competitive concerns in the broadband market. FCC broadband data reveal 25,503 overlapping locations where Charter and Cox operate, with 65% of these locations having only these two providers offering gigabit-speed service. Approval would eliminate consumer choice in these areas, leaving customers with single-provider access to high-speed broadband. Charter already dominates 48% of its service area as the sole gigabit provider, while Cox controls 65% of its territory. The merger approval differs significantly from Charter's 2016 Time Warner Cable acquisition, which included conditions on data caps, usage-based pricing, and paid interconnection. Current regulatory approval imposes no comparable requirements.
Read at Ars Technica
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