DISH Petitions FCC To Deny Charter Communications-Time Warner Cable Merger

(RTTNews) - Citing substantial harm to competition and consumers, DISH Network Corp. (DISH) said it petitioned the Federal Communications Commission or FCC to deny the proposed merger of Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR) and Time Warner Cable, Inc. (TWC).

The petition to deny outlines the critical role that high-speed broadband plays in the video industry and the potential for the merger to significantly damage competitive development of over-the-top or OTT video and limit consumer access to online video programming.

DISH noted that the proposed transaction would be no better for the public interest than the one proposed between Comcast and Time Warner Cable.

Where a Comcast/Time Warner Cable merger would have created one behemoth, this transaction will result in two broadband providers (Comcast and New Charter) controlling about 90 percent of the nation's high-speed broadband homes between them.

As Roger Lynch, CEO of Sling TV, states in his accompanying declaration: "I believe that the proposed merger.... would cause significant and irreparable harm to emerging competitive online video products and services, as well as the performance of traditional satellite television service, ultimately reducing competition and choice for consumers. Accordingly, I believe that the merger as currently constructed is not in the public interest and should be denied."

In Late-May, Charter Communications agreed to acquire Time Warner Cable Inc. in a cash-and-stock deal. Including debt, the deal valued Time Warner Cable at $78.7 billion.

Bright House Networks LLC, a smaller cable operator that Charter was trying to buy, would also be merged into the combined entity.