Should absence of harm be sufficient for merger approval?

[Commentary] After Charter and Time Warner Cable announced their intention to merge, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler released a statement noting that "an absence of harm is not sufficient" to approve a merger. But it should be. Why would the government block a merger it believes isn't bad? Perhaps Chairman Wheeler felt the need to backpedal after reportedly calling Charter and Time Warner Cable CEOs to assure them that he's not opposed to all mergers. Even so, his statement again raises the question of how the FCC evaluates mergers.

[Wallsten is vice president for research and senior fellow at the Technology Policy Institute]