Chairman Wheeler: Charter Merger Conditions Create Competition Zone

Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheeler says that the conditions he has proposed placing on the Charter-Time Warner Cable-Bright House merger have created a "seven-year innovation and competition zone," referring to the seven-year length of broadband-related conditions. Chairman Wheeler was asked whether those conditions signaled a precedent for how the FCC would view future mergers and what signal it should be sending to the market. "I think what we did was we created a seven-year innovation and competition zone. That, in terms of access says that there will be during this period an open opportunity for those who are innovative and competitive to have an opportunity to bring new competition and new services."

But Chairman Wheeler did say every issue was looked at on a case-by-case basis and warned against generalizing about other deals. Chairman Wheeler said that the timetable of the deal approval was because it was in conjunction with the Justice Department, which explained why it had come out this week—it had been thought the decision would circulate in March. "We were working with each other, so that is kind of the answer on the timing," he said.