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Charter said in a filing with the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) on Thursday that it would not block or suppress
Internet traffic or prioritize content for a fee and that its
broadband services would cost less than the current offerings of
Time Warner (TWC) and Bright House.
In its first official argument in support of the deals, Charter
also said the new company would not harm online video services
providers as its success would depend on the broadband business
rather than on video services.
Charter would invest at least $2.5 billion in commercial areas
and deploy over 300,000 out-of-home WiFi access points,
according to the filing.
The company had in May announced its offer to buy bigger rival
TWC for $56 billion, prompting a statement from the FCC that the
deal would be reviewed to determine whether it was in the public
interest.
Charter had said in March it would buy Bright House Networks for
$10.4 billion to expand its cable network.
The proposed deals mark a huge step towards industry
consolidation, long advocated by cable pioneer John Malone,
Charter's biggest shareholder, as the new company would control
a big swath of the cable and Internet markets.
The FCC's concerns over risk to competition and innovation had
made Comcast Corp abandon a $45 billion acquisition of TWC in
April.
Charter's takeover agreement with TWC includes a pledge to pay
Time Warner Cable a $2-billion breakup fee if the deal falls
through.
(Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Bengaluru; Editing by Anupama
Dwivedi)
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