Markey Urges FCC Not to Grant Charter's Effective Competition Petition
Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., urged the FCC to not grant Charter Communications' effective competition petition, saying it “risks opening the door to increased prices for consumers.” The Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Cable argues DirecTV Now's rebranding makes Charter's petition…
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moot (see 1910210040). The company says that claim is erroneous, since the service itself remains the same (see 1910230037). Charter would no longer be subject to rate regulations and would be able to raise rates for basic cable service and equipment in 32 Massachusetts communities, including Worcester, Markey wrote FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Thursday. “Research shows that basic service tier cable rates are 50% higher in unregulated communities than they are in regulated communities, and Charter has explicitly stated that if the Commission grants its petition, the company plans to almost double the rate paid by consumers that subscribe to the basic service tier in some communities.” Charter didn't comment. Friday, commissioners are to vote on the matter. Markey's Truth-in-Billing, Remedies and User Empowerment over Fees (True Fees) Act (S-510/HR-1220) would require telecom, cable and broadband providers include all charges in advertised prices (see 1902140045).