Group of Telcos to FCC: Comcast/TWC Should Not Continue To Have Access to UNEs at Regulated TELRIC rate

If the Comcast/Time Warner Cable deal goes through, the combined company would immediately become one of the largest local service providers in the United States, serving about 16 million residential voice customers. A group of telecommunications companies, including CenturyLink and FairPoint Communications, has told the Federal Communications Commission that if the Comcast and Time Warner Cable merger is approved, they should not be required to provide the combined company access to unbundled network elements to deliver voice services.

"Given these realities, it makes little sense for Comcast and Time Warner Cable to continue to have access to UNEs at regulated total element long run incremental cost (TELRIC) rates," the telecommunications companies wrote in the FCC filing. "Given the sheer scale of the combined companies' infrastructure and market capitalization, the post-merger entity would clearly have the scale and scope to invest in any facilities it needs without obtaining them from its competitors at regulated rates."