A PYMNTS Company

US: FCC hits pause on Comcast, AT&T merger reviews

By  |  October 22, 2014

The Federal Communications Commission announced Wednesday that it has stopped the clock on the 180-day review period to probe Comcast’s proposed takeover of Time Warner Cable, as well as AT&T’s acquisition of DirecTV, threatening completion of the deals on the companies’ timelines.

According to reports, the FCC suspended the deadline for comments on the mergers and suspended the reviews as the regulator looks to resolve disagreements over whether certain documents can remain sealed.

Specifically, reports say, programmers are fighting to limit the amount of disclosure of their contracts with the televisions companies. CBS Corp, Walk Disney and 21st Century Fox have all asked the watchdog to limit who can see those contracts.

Reports say Comcast expects the merger review to be completed early next year, while AT&T says it is not changing its expectation of closing the deal in the first half of 2015.

Full content: Bloomberg

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.