Charter Pushes FCC To Clear Merger With Time Warner

Advocacy groups recently warned that Charter's proposed $67 billion merger with Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks could leave the new company in a position to stifle competition from online video companies. Charter is now countering that its planned buying spree "will yield significant benefits."

The company says in a new Federal Communications Commission filing that the merger will result in a host of benefits, including better broadband service and new jobs. Charter, which will be called New Charter after the acquisitions, emphasizes the company's strongest selling points for the merger: For at least three years after the deal closes, the company won't impose data caps, won't charge Netflix or other video companies extra fees to "interconnect" directly with Charter's network, and will follow network neutrality principles. "The transaction will enable New Charter to enshrine its consumer-friendly broadband policies throughout the applicants' combined footprints," the company writes. Charter also says in its filing that it should not be compared with Comcast, the largest cable company in the US.