New Charter Critics, Backers Beating a Path to FCC
Anti- and pro-Charter/TWC/BHN parties have been busy lobbying the FCC, according to filings Friday and Thursday in docket 15-149. The filings by Time Warner and Charter Communications (see here and here) detail meetings Wednesday with FCC staff, including Owen Kendler,…
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who's heading the FCC working team overseeing the deals' review. Time Warner's filing said its team -- including General Counsel Paul Cappuccio and HBO General Counsel Eve Konstan -- presented various Charter public statements and nonpublic interactions with Charter that illustrated how its buying Bright House Networks and Time Warner Cable will lead to attempts to hurt the development of over-the-top competition. They also said the FCC should take time to look into such concerns and ensure New Charter can't or won't hurt OTT competition. Charter's team, including Chief Technology Officer Jay Rolls and Executive Vice President-Government Affairs Catherine Bohigian, met with FCC staff including Kendler on public interest benefits of the deals and Charter's commitments such as settlement-free interconnection, broadband service without usage-based billing or data caps, and a low-income broadband offering. The FCC's unofficial 180-day shot clock for reviewing the transactions stood Friday at 160.