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Zoom Telephonics, PK Ask FCC To Deny Charter/TWC/BHN

Modem manufacturer Zoom Telephonics filed an FCC petition Tuesday to deny Charter Communications' pending buys of Bright House Networks and Time Warner Cable. Public Knowledge also sought a denial of the deal as proposed. Zoom alleged that Charter, unlike TWC…

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and Comcast, has "not reasonably allowed customer-owned modems to be attached to its network." Zoom said Charter, contrary to the practices of TWC and BHN, doesn't separately state a price for cable modem leasing and subsidizes the cost of leasing, and that the company's attachment and pricing practices are "contrary to law and FCC regulations and are not in the public interest." Public Knowledge also filed a petition asking the FCC to deny Charter's acquisitions of TWC and BHN unless certain concerns are addressed, it said in a news release Tuesday. "The proposed combination of Charter, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House raises serious questions as to whether consumers will lose out in an ever-consolidating video marketplace," said John Bergmayer, Public Knowledge senior staff attorney. Charter had no immediate comment.