ACA, NCTA Press FCC for Action on CLEC Cross-Ownership

The American Cable Association is asking the Federal Communications Commission to take action on the petition by the National Cable and Telecommunications Association to forbear enforcement of the FCC's prohibition on cable operators merging with competitive local exchange carriers.

NCTA met with FCC officials in the past week to press its case for the forbearance petition, which was filed over a year ago. NCTA argues that the current waivers process and the gauntlet of local franchise authorities that has to be run to achieve it is impeding procompetitive deals. Cable operators argue that the prohibition on cable and telco melds was meant to preserve competition between incumbent cable ops and incumbent local exchange carriers -- AT&T, Verizon -- not between cable ops and competitive carriers to those incumbent telcos.