US: States to probe Comcast, TWC deal

The US Department of Justice will reportedly see states also conducting their own reviews of the proposed merger between cable giants Comcast and Time Warner Cable, say reports.

While the number of states that have joined the task force of the merger review has not yet been confirmed, the DOJ’s Antitrust Division will be joined by Florida in the case. The Florida State Attorney General sent a notice to reporters confirming that the state is “part of a multistate group reviewing the proposed transaction along with the US DOJ.”

Indiana is similarly looking at the merger, though it was not clear whether the state is part of this DOJ task force.

The $45.2 billion merger sparked debate and controversy over whether the deal will allot too much market control to Comcast and hike prices for cable consumers. Unnamed sources have said that the states will focus more on broadband services, rather than cable services, to determine whether the deal would harm competition.

Comcast denied claims the deal would hamper competition because the company does not compete with TWC in any of the same geographical markets. Comcast has also already offered to divest millions of subscribers, potentially creating a new television competitor.

Full Content: Huffington Post

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