Public Interest Advocates Question California PUC's Ability to Enforce Comcast/TWC Conditions
Comcast and other telcos related to the proposed Comcast/Time Warner Cable (TWC) deal urged the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Wednesday to approve CPUC Administrative Law Judge Karl Bemesderfer’s proposed decision approving the deal, but asked the commission to modify…
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multiple conditions included in the proposed decision to make them less onerous. Most public interest advocates who spoke at an all-party meeting on the deal Wednesday in San Francisco, including the Greenlining Institute, Media Alliance and The Utility Reform Network, urged the commission to vote against the deal entirely (see 1502190054). One notable exception was the California Emerging Technology Fund, represented by former FCC Commissioner and CPUC Commissioner Rachelle Chong, who said the CPUC should approve the deal with changes that strengthen conditions related to Comcast’s Internet Essentials program and broadband deployment. Several public interest advocates raised concerns about the CPUC’s ability to enforce conditions in the proposed decision, while California Association of Competitive Telecommunications Companies Executive Director Sarah DeYoung said the commission should create a separate proceeding post-deal to specifically monitor that Comcast is abiding by conditions included in the CPUC’s decision.