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Time Warner Cable to merge with Charter

I just saw a letter to the editor on a newspaper web site which claimed the merged company would offer discount broadband to seniors on SSI and others who otherwise couldn't afford it.

If this is true, that would be a positive development, but I still don't want to see the merger happen.
 
Why is this so much worse than the Comcast purchase of Universal/NBC?
Comcast owns the Universal movie studios and the theme parks. They also own the NBC networks which promote Universal.
Comcast produces the products, promotes them through their television networks and delivers the products through their cable TV and internet services.

Tell me why the Charter/Time Warner deal could make things even worse?
 
frankberry said:
Why is this so much worse than the Comcast purchase of Universal/NBC?
Comcast owns the Universal movie studios and the theme parks. They also own the NBC networks which promote Universal.
Comcast produces the products, promotes them through their television networks and delivers the products through their cable TV and internet services.

Tell me why the Charter/Time Warner deal could make things even worse?
Click to expand...

Comcast and Universal/NBC have noting to do with the Charter/Time Warner Cable merger.

See http://www.stopmegacable.com if you want an explanation of why this merger is bad for everyone except for cable company executives.
 
vchimpanzee said:
I just saw a letter to the editor on a newspaper web site which claimed the merged company would offer discount broadband to seniors on SSI and others who otherwise couldn't afford it.

If this is true, that would be a positive development, but I still don't want to see the merger happen.
Click to expand...

For the billions Charter wants to spend to acquire Time Warner Cable, they could get affordable cable to the needy at a much lower price-point. That's just PR-spin to try and make people think the merger has some kind of benefit. It doesn't.
 
PaulKTF said:
For the billions Charter wants to spend to acquire Time Warner Cable, they could get affordable cable to the needy at a much lower price-point.
Click to expand...

That is not how mergers and acquisitions work.

The classic buy-out is based on borrowing money to buy another company, consolidating operations to improve cash flow, and using the profits to pay off the loan.

Charter does not have $55 billion in cash. It can get the money via loans and other debt instruments such as bonds, whereby it "rents" the money and pays for it out of future profits. In fact, Charter has less than $500 million in cash and receivables and already has $22 billion in debt.

In any case, "affordable cable for the needy" is a myth as cable systems have to pay for infrastructure and then have to pay carriage fees for the stations and channels they carry. While they make a profit, as they should, on each hookup, most of the fees paid by consumers go for actual infrastructure expenses and fees. It would take a public sector subsidy to provide "free" cable for the lowest income groups.
 
DavidEduardo said:


That is not how mergers and acquisitions work.

The classic buy-out is based on borrowing money to buy another company, consolidating operations to improve cash flow, and using the profits to pay off the loan.

Charter does not have $55 billion in cash. It can get the money via loans and other debt instruments such as bonds, whereby it "rents" the money and pays for it out of future profits. In fact, Charter has less than $500 million in cash and receivables and already has $22 billion in debt.

In any case, "affordable cable for the needy" is a myth as cable systems have to pay for infrastructure and then have to pay carriage fees for the stations and channels they carry. While they make a profit, as they should, on each hookup, most of the fees paid by consumers go for actual infrastructure expenses and fees. It would take a public sector subsidy to provide "free" cable for the lowest income groups.
Click to expand...

Do you know who would ultimately be paying for the "low cost" cable and internet for the poor?

The existing Time Warner Cable/Charter/Bright House customers whose bills will necessarily skyrocket to cover these debts.
 
PaulKTF said:
The existing Time Warner Cable/Charter/Bright House customers whose bills will necessarily skyrocket to cover these debts.
Click to expand...

Yes! Just like the universal access surcharges/fees on phone bills.
 
California judge recommends approval of Charter-Time Warner Cable deal

Charter Communications' blockbuster deal to acquire Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks cleared a major hurdle Tuesday when a California administrative judge recommended approval of the deal.

Administrative Law Judge Karl Bemesderfer, in a 74-page opinion, recommended that the California Public Utilities Commission approve Charter's takeover plans, but he attached a long list of conditions designed to ensure that the cable consolidation carries benefits to the public.

The deal is still waiting for approval from the Federal Communications Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice. Those decisions are expected any day.

The Public Utilities Commission is tentatively scheduled to vote on the matter May 12.
Click to expand...

http://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...t-charter-time-warner-puc-20160412-story.html
 
mvcg66b3r said:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...t-charter-time-warner-puc-20160412-story.html
Click to expand...

What a stunningly irresponsible recommendation on his part.

If you (not you specifically, I mean anyone reading this) haven't called the FCC yet, now is the time to do so.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler: (202) 418-1000
FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn: (202) 418-2100
FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel: 1-202-418-2400

Call and leave a message with all three people and let your voice be heard. Tell the FCC to do its job and stand up for the best interests of consumers and block this merger.
 
Also, I would encourage people (especially those in California) to contact The California Public Utilities Commission via phone and/or email and encourage them too to vote against this merger.

Quoting from the CPUC website:

http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/written_informal_comments/

--

Provide written comments (informal)* - You can write your comments to the CPUC Public Advisor's Office (PAO) on the proceeding. PAO routes all comments to the assigned administrative law judge and to the commissioners' offices. It is very important to include the proceeding number. If you do not know the proceeding number, please provide the utility name and any other pertinent details. Often, consumers receive bill notices when a utility has filed an application with the CPUC that will impact ratepayers. The bill notices will have the contact information for the Public Advisor's Office:

E-mail: [email protected][/email]
Address: California Public Utilities Commission
Public Advisor's Office
505 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102

--
 
Quoting from the following article:

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/washington/calif-alj-recommends-approving-chartertwc/155477

--

The Stop Mega Cable Coalition, a coalition of deal opponents said the conditions were too weak, and suggested the proposal did not necessarily advance the deal's prospects.

“The decision recommended by the California Administrative Law Judge to approve the transfer of licenses in Charter’s acquisition of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks with only weak conditions that fail to address the harms posed by this merger is disappointing, but not surprising," the group said in a statement. "After all, this is the same judge who last year put his stamp of approval on Comcast’s attempt to acquire Time Warner Cable just weeks before that deal collapsed in the face of certain rejection by the FCC. Now, it is up to the California PUC to stand up for consumers and competition by insisting on conditions that actually solve for the many harms this deal would inflict on California and consumers nationwide."

--
 
FCC Proposes Charter-Time Warner Cable Merger Conditions

The FCC Monday circulated its expected approval—with conditions—of the proposed Charter-Time Warner Cable-Bright House merger. That followed the Department of Justice announcement it had allowed the deal to proceed with conditions.

“In conjunction with the Department of Justice, specific FCC conditions will focus on removing unfair barriers to video competition. First, New Charter will not be permitted to charge usage-based prices or impose data caps. Second, New Charter will be prohibited from charging interconnection fees, including to online video providers, which deliver large volumes of internet traffic to broadband customers. Additionally, the Department of Justice’s settlement with Charter both outlaws video programming terms that could harm OVDs and protects OVDs from retaliation– an outcome fully supported by the order I have circulated today. All three seven-year conditions will help consumers by benefitting OVD competition. The cumulative impact of these conditions will be to provide additional protection for new forms of video programming services offered over the Internet. Thus, we continue our close working relationship with the Department of Justice on this review.

“Importantly, we will require an independent monitor to help ensure compliance with these and other proposed conditions. These strong measures will protect consumers, expand high-speed broadband availability, and increase competition.”
Click to expand...

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/ne...er-time-warner-cable-merger-conditions/155920
 
I wanted to see some shows online because I missed part or all of them either from weather bulletins or not paying close enough attention to when my TiVo was going to delete shows.

In some cases we are asked to select our provider before we can continue. Charter is on the list but Time Warner is not. There's even a long list we can click to see but it's not even there.

Hopefully this will change when the merger happens.
 
vchimpanzee said:
I wanted to see some shows online because I missed part or all of them either from weather bulletins or not paying close enough attention to when my TiVo was going to delete shows.

In some cases we are asked to select our provider before we can continue. Charter is on the list but Time Warner is not. There's even a long list we can click to see but it's not even there.

Hopefully this will change when the merger happens.
Click to expand...

Even with the merger going through, the changes won't certainly be immediate. I can remember when Comcast and Time Warner Cable completed the acquisitions of the Adelphia systems, at least here in Southern California the transition took quite awhile (more like a couple years) for the old Adelphia and Comcast systems to fully fold into TWC.
 
vchimpanzee said:
I wanted to see some shows online because I missed part or all of them either from weather bulletins or not paying close enough attention to when my TiVo was going to delete shows.

In some cases we are asked to select our provider before we can continue. Charter is on the list but Time Warner is not. There's even a long list we can click to see but it's not even there.

Hopefully this will change when the merger happens.
Click to expand...

I hope the deal will make Watch TCM on Amazon Fire TV available through Charter. It's available on Time Warner but not Charter.
 
So Long Time Warner Cable: Charter to Retire Much-Maligned Brand

The brand you love to hate is going away.

Time Warner Cable, which had the worst customer-service score in any industry according to a 2015 survey, won’t survive Charter Communications Inc.’s acquisition. Charter will close its $55.1 billion purchase of Time Warner Cable Inc. Wednesday, about a year after it announced the deal and more than two years after it put the New York-based cable provider in play with a hostile takeover offer.

Charter has decided to phase out the Time Warner Cable name over time, according to Alex Dudley, a company spokesman. Included in the rebranding effort is Bright House Networks LLC, the cable provider Charter bought in conjunction with Time Warner Cable last year for $10.4 billion.

“While Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks customers will not see any immediate change, the company will be called Charter and the products and services will be marketed under the ‘Spectrum’ brand,” Dudley said in an e-mail.
Click to expand...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...r-cable-charter-to-retire-much-maligned-brand
 
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