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Friday, June 26, 2015

Approval Expected For AT&T - DirecTv Merger

According to reports, the FCC will be approving the merger of AT&T and DirecTv sometime next week. While it has been more than a year since its announcement, the need for the FCC to first address the Comcast bid for Time Warner Cable likely was a factor in moving forward with this acquisition.  Still, little seems to be in the way for a new AT&T/DirecTv to begin.

Certainly next on the FCC plate is Charter's bid for Time Warner Cable.  Unlike the issues surrounding Comcast, the FCC is also likely to approve this deal, too.  Many don't expect final approval for Charter and TWC till year end if not early 2016.  Once completed, the big three of Comcast, Charter, and AT&T will dominate the cable distribution industry.  And then we can watch to see what happens to Dish Network, Cablevision, Cox, FIOS, and the other players.