FCC Delays Comcast-Time Warner Cable Review Again as New Documents Found

Miffed Federal Communications Commission lawyers stopped the informal clock for reviewing Comcast’s $45 billion deal to acquire Time Warner Cable after lawyers belatedly turned over thousands of documents the agency had previously requested.

The agency was told an additional 31,000 documents also hadn’t been turned over because of what Time Warner Cable called a “vendor error.” The missing documents are expected to be sent to the agency on December 30th. FCC lawyers complained that the newly disclosed documents will “slow down” the FCC’s review “because sections of the review that staff had thought were complete now must be reopened to take account of the additional documents that have been disclosed.” The agency stopped its informal shot clock for considering the deal on December 22, saying it will restart on January 12. Since the FCC’s 180-day clock isn’t binding -- and the agency has routinely blown through the deadline while considering other deals -- it doesn’t actually mean anything when the clock stops.