Jason, BAD NEWS: According to several news reports, the FCC has voted to approve the Charter-Time Warner Cable merger. With Chairman Tom Wheeler at the helm, the agency ignored hundreds of thousands of people like you who urged it to block this disastrous deal. Instead of standing with the people who use the Internet, he sided with the companies that want to control it. Here’s Where Things Stand: And Charter has to charge more: This deal is saddling it with nearly $27 billion in new debt. To repay that, Charter will have to raise its already steep prices. This merger will hit low-income communities and low-income people of color the hardest, forcing many offline. The FCC attached various conditions to the merger. But know this: No conditions can make this deal OK. What the Decision Means for You: If you’re breathing a sigh of relief because you’re not in the Charter-Time Warner Cable orbit, well — don’t. Because this merger gives Charter so much market power, it will be able — along with Comcast — to influence what all providers charge for broadband and cable. This means you can expect your already high rates to get even higher. What’s more, this deal will have grave impacts for the online video market — hurting consumers seeking to cut the cord. What’s Next:
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution that will get us all fast, affordable Internet, but with you by our side we’ll keep fighting until we get there. Stay tuned! Mary Alice, Candace, Carrie and the rest of the Free Press team P.S. Please chip in $10 today to fuel the fight for fast, affordable Internet for all. Thanks! |
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