Zoom Says FCC Should Block Charter/TWC

Set-top maker Zoom Telephonics has asked the Federal Communications Commission to deny the Charter/Time Warner Cable merger, primarily over the issue of access to third-party set-tops. Since 2012, Charter has bundled the price of leasing its modems into the overall price of service, which Zoom has said gives customers no financial incentive to purchase their own devices. Zoom also petitioned the FCC to deny the Comcast/TWC deal over the issue, saying that if the FCC did approve that deal--it didn't--it should condition that approval on Charter stating an unsubsidized price for leasing cable modems and not “unreasonably” refusing to allow “nonharmful” modems to attach to its network.

In its petition to deny the Charter/TWC deal, filed Oct 13, Zoom repeated its charge that bundling the price means there is not savings for customers who opt for their own cable modems. Zoom says that most of the third-party modems Charter has certified for use are not available at brick-and-mortar retailers, and others are not readily available. But even when they are available, it says, the bundled pricing discourages customers from purchasing them.