Kentucky vs. Comcast

The Somerset (KY) City Council voted to block the pending $45 billion merger of cable giants Comcast and Time Warner Cable -- Just in Somerset, that is.

The council voted to deny requests for Time Warner Cable’s systems to be turned over to Comcast, and later to Charter Communications, a third party involved in the transaction. At least two other Kentucky areas, including Campbell County and the city of Danville, have taken steps toward similar ends. The decisions of a few towns are unlikely to have much bearing on the Comcast deal, since the merger agreement says it needs approval from localities representing only 85% of Time Warner Cable’s 11 million subscribers. The deal’s fate will be decided by Washington regulators. But these communities’ passionate opposition, fueled by frustration with customer-service headaches, points to some of the challenges Comcast and Charter will inherit if they succeed in taking over Time Warner Cable systems.