FCC Unlikely to Bless a Comcast-TWC Deal, Says Regulator
Any effort by Comcast Corp. to acquire Time Warner Cable Inc. would face significant hurdles in Washington, according to a Federal Communications Commission official, casting doubt on a cable-industry consolidation scenario that has grabbed Wall Street’s attention.
Comcast, the No. 1 cable provider, measured by subscriber numbers, has been considering a bid for the No. 2 player, Time Warner Cable, which is already being pursued by a smaller cable firm, Charter Communications Inc. But Ajit Pai, a Republican commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission, said in an interview that the Obama administration would be unlikely to approve a combination of Comcast and Time Warner Cable.
