Comcast looking to buyTime Warner Cable

[Maxxam]

FCC needs to shut this entire idea down


Comcast seeks advice on possible Time Warner Cable bid


http://www.cnbc.com/id/101220981

Time Warner Cable's flirtation with potential merger suitors may include Comcast, which is seeking advice on possible regulatory hurdles if it should pursue a bid, sources told CNBC on Friday.

Comcast, the parent company of CNBC, is not in active discussions on deal terms with Time Warner Cable, these sources say, but is asking for guidance on antitrust and telecommunications-related issues. According to people familiar with the matter, TWC has made it clear that if it should sell itself, Comcast would be its preferred buyer. These people add that Comcast has been quietly mulling a deal with TWC for some time.

Time Warner Cable is on the verge of a bid from Charter Communications, according to The Wall Street Journal, which said Charter is near an agreement with banks for the funds to make that offer. Analysts, however, say Time Warner's needs may be better suited with Comcast.

(Read more: Charter nears funding for Time Warner Cable bid: WSJ)

"The synergies are very real, and Comcast would be a better fit," said Craig Moffett, founder and senior analyst at MoffettNathanson. He said that while the Justice Department's antitrust requirements may not pose an insurmountable challenge, "the harder challenge would be the FCC."

"The FCC applies a public interest test that would be much more subjective" than the DoJ, and would raise tough questions about market concentration and diversity of cable offerings, he said. "It wouldn't be a slam dunk by any means."

 

[Non-StopJFK2TAB]

FCC needs to shut this entire idea down

 

[XXXplosive]

Surprised this hasn't happened sooner.
We used to to have Time Warner down here in Houston, but then Comcast took over a few years ago.
Both services are about the same to me, I've seen no big difference other than Comcast seems to offer slightly better pricing.

 

[King Natty]

I was gonna ask if there are any differences between the two. We have TW up here

 

[BigDaddyBuk]

in Memphis...Time Warner >>>>>>>>>>Comcast.

and i MEAN that literally, 10 times greater than.

never had ANY trouble from Time Warner, who subcontracted for Earthlink here.

once Comcast took over i had to switch, had problems ever since.

 

[a1rimrocka]

..waiting on Google Fiber to come to the east coast

Surprised this hasn't happened sooner.
We used to to have Time Warner down here in Houston, but then Comcast took over a few years ago.
Both services are about the same to me, I've seen no big difference other than Comcast seems to offer slightly better pricing.

This.. I had TWC in NC and now have Comcast in VA

 

[yaBoi]

Fuck both them companies.. they BOTH agreed to divide up the county between the two of them and literally price fix the entire cable tv industry.I guess now that Comcast owns NBC-universal they want control of the whole fucking thing.

Mother fuck Comcast i hope the FCC comes in and breaks this shit up like they did Bell back in the day..

 

[WestIndianArchie]

I hope they blocc that shit. Comcast already running shit and taking over cities that formerly used time Warner, and adelphia. Their customer service succs. Cox is waaaay better imo.

 

[TooTrilla]

I already got the inside scoop. Word from them folkz up top at the office is
that Comcast aint finna do shit. It's Charter that will most likely
buy Time Warner in the next few years.

And cable is cable. Besides customer service and a few differences in pricing, shit is all the same.

 

[Maxxam]

No good could come from this... prices will increase, speeds will be slower and I'd guess lower data caps/higher penalty for exceeding the laughably low 300GB limit Comcast already imposes. Less competition is not a good thing.

New FCC Chairman is a former cable/wireless lobbyist so.... we'll see how that goes

 

[dabushwackers]

Fuck cable TV xbmc rules

 

[futureshock]

..waiting on Google Fiber to come to the east coast

the rest of the interweb has some catchin up to do....


The rest of the Internet is too slow for Google Fiber

As many Ars commenters have noted, the rest of the Internet is still really slow in comparison to a gigabit home broadband pipe; there are many other obstacles getting in the way of a full-bore Internet experience. After all, once my Web request leaves the fiber-connected house, makes its way out of the city, and starts talking to the rest of the Internet, there are all kinds of routers, switches, boxes, firewalls, and quality of service (traffic shaping) issues that make it so I can’t actually download an album from iTunes in the blink of an eye.

But my brief taste of what promised to be the craziest, fastest Internet for the lowest amount of money may not have been enough. I may have to stay longer next time to really appreciate it.

http://arstechnica.com/business/2012/11/the-rest-of-the-internet-is-too-slow-for-google-fiber/

 

[gene cisco]

No good could come from this... prices will increase, speeds will be slower and I'd guess lower data caps/higher penalty for exceeding the laughably low 300GB limit Comcast already imposes. Less competition is not a good thing.

New FCC Chairman is a former cable/wireless lobbyist so.... we'll see how that goes

True. Shit is crazy how the telecoms get away with such blatant fuckery.

 

[Mo-Better]

I don't see the FCC allowing this purchase to take place.

 

[World B Free]

criminal monopoly

 

[Backshot Bully]

I guess this deal will means comcast high prices will never come down

 

[Maxxam]

I don't see the FCC allowing this purchase to take place.

Current FCC chair is the former top lobbyist for the cable industry. He also thought the ATT/TMobile merger was a good idea. He really thought going from 4 carriers to 3 was good.

 

[dwayne1376]

Wow.. I work for Comcast (dont shoot me, that check takes care of my family.. lol) and we were under the impression that Charter Communication was in the running. We had a lot of engineers jump shit to Charter which is literally down the street after hearing that news. But we were all wondering why it hadn't happen yet. Now we know why. TWC didnt really want to be bought by a small fish like Charter, its been holding out for a bigger whale and comcast is that whale. Hmmmmm.. Gonna stay tuned to this..