FCC Yet to Restart AT&T/DirecTV Shot Clock

The cable and broadband deals will soon be lining up at the Federal Communications Commission -- Charter/Time Warner Cable and now Avago/Broadcom -- with the shot clock yet to restart on the FCC’s vetting of the AT&T/DirecTV deal, though that does not mean the merger-review team is not vetting the deal. The clock has been stopped since March -- on day 170 of the informal 180 deadline -- at the time ostensibly to let a federal court decide the issue of access to third-party contracts. That was decided a month ago. Apparently, the clock is a guideline and can be stopped for other reasons outside the FCC's control, like still needing more documents.