NEW YORK – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has delayed its decision on the Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger, and another involving AT&T and DirecTV.
In a public notice, the FCC stated that it was pausing its timeline to review the applications while a federal court hears arguments on a technical issue that could affect legal maneuvering in the merger discussions, Sentinel Source reports.
This isn’t the first time the FCC has paused the clock on these two potential mergers.
In February 2014, Comcast announced it planned to purchase Time Warner Cable for $45.2 billion. The FCC paused its review of the merger last October and again in December. However, it restarted the review clock in January.
AT&T announced its plans to acquire DirecTV for $48.5 billion in May 2014. However, the FCC paused its review clock on the merger in October.
If the deals go through, Comcast will become the largest supplier of cable television and Internet services, while AT&T will become the second-largest supplier.
Both Comcast and TWC have entered the home automation market, with Comcast’s Xfinity Home Security and TWC Intelligent Home. Both firm’s use cloud-based platforms from iControl, with hardware that communicates via ZigBee and IP.
AT&T and DirecTV also offer home security/home automation offerings. AT&T’s Digital Life, which launched in 2013, is a professionally monitored and installed service. That same year, DirecTV entered the home security market with its purchase of LifeShield Home Security.
