FCC Pauses Shot Clock on Review of Charter/TWC

The FCC has paused the clock on the Charter/Time Warner Cable/Bright House merger review for 15 days.

The FCC had no comment beyond what it said in a letter to the parties informing them, but the stoppage, not unusual in merger reviews, came after documents were submitted around the holiday breaks.

“We have recently submitted supplemental information to underscore the benefits of these transactions and it is expected that the FCC would want to give the public time to comment," Charter said in a statement. "We are working well with the FCC on its review of our deal and continue to look forward to a timely approval.”

That information included docs on interconnection, cybersecurity, regional sports networks, low-cost broadband and more.

"The Commission has a strong interest in ensuring a full and complete record upon which to base its decision in this proceeding," the FCC said. "Pausing the clock will ensure that commenters have sufficient time to review and comment on this new information, and will provide Commission staff with the necessary time to review both the Applicants' materials and any responses."

The FCC's 180-day shot clock is an informal guide, not a deadline.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.