Rural Broadband Alliance Joins Anti-Charter/TWC/BHN Stop Mega Cable Coalition

Counsel Steve Kraskin called Charter/TWC/BHN “a ‘lose, lose’ for rural communities." “Ongoing consolidation and the dominance of a handful of companies in the cable and broadband marketplace has dramatically reduced the bargaining power of small and rural entities to obtain must-have video content, undermined their ability to compete, much less remain economically viable, and diluted the diversity of service options available to consumers in rural areas," Kraskin said. "Mega Cable would further tip the balance against these smaller providers and their customers." In a statement, Charter called itself "a different type of cable company -- committed to creating American jobs, offering the most innovative products, delivering fast internet speeds, preserving an open internet and advancing online video friendly policies including no data caps and no modem fees. ... It should come as no surprise that Dish and other parties seeking to use the regulatory review process to extract concessions are also engaging in tired PR tactics to further their self-interests. Their arguments against the pending transactions are baseless. The facts are that New Charter has received significant and broad support from leading [online video] provider Netflix because of its online video friendly practices, independent programmers including Fuse Media and RFD-TV due to its commitment to diverse programming, national multicultural organizations like National Urban League, National Action Network and the League of United Latin American Citizens with whom it is collaborating to expand diversity and inclusion, and from the State of New York which recently approved the merger. These parties have taken a close and honest look at the benefits of these transactions and have all come to the same conclusion: they are in the public interest.” Stop Mega Cable members include Consumers Union, Dish Network, ITTA, Public Knowledge and USTelecom.