Oppose the Charter-Time Warner merger

From CREDO:

The FCC is reportedly on the verge of approving the proposed $90 billion mega-merger between Charter Communications and Time Warner Cable,1 which would create a cable and Internet behemoth nearly as big as Comcast. Combined, the new company and Comcast would control two-thirds of the nation’s high speed Internet access.2

The next few days are a critical time to pressure the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to stop this bad deal for American consumers.

Can you help with a quick phone call? We’ll give you everything you need to deliver the message, and automatically connect you to the FCC commissioners who need to hear the voice of the American people.

Make a call to the FCC: Reject the Charter-Time Warner Cable merger. Call for a script and to be automatically connected to key FCC commissioners.

The proposed merger is a bad deal for consumers on a number of fronts:

It was designed to benefit the companies’ executives and Wall Street investors – not consumers. Big cable and Internet companies should be focused on improving customer service, and increasing broadband Internet speeds, not looking toward the next mega-merger that will make Wall Street happy.

If the merger is approved, Charter would take over the New York and Los Angeles broadband Internet markets, and would likely impose price increases on its customers in these diverse communities. This would exacerbate the digital divide by concentrating market power in communities where many people already struggle to afford broadband.

In a recent customer service survey, Charter ranked below hundreds of other companies – even Comcast.3 With even less competition and a captive customer base after a merger, Charter will have little incentive to actually improve customer service.
We need faster, more affordable Internet access – not further consolidation that would put more and more power into fewer hands. I hope you’ll join the broad coalition of progressive groups and activists fighting to stop the proposed merger between Charter Communications and Time Warner Cable by calling the FCC today.

Make a call to the FCC: Reject the Charter-Time Warner Cable merger. Call for a script and to be automatically connected to key FCC commissioners.

Thanks for everything you do.

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The Time Warner merger with Charter Communications will destroy competition

From Open Media:

Big Telecom is trying to get even bigger… and customers will pay the price. Charter Communications, America’s third-biggest cable company, wants to take over Time Warner Cable, the second-largest.

If this $90 billion deal is approved by the FCC, "Mega Charter" and Comcast together would control the telecom connections to nearly 8 out of every 10 U.S. homes.

Let that sink in: two cable companies, wielding monopolistic control over your Internet service.

If they succeed, they’ll be able to raise your cable bill even higher, because you’ll have nowhere else to turn. We can't let this happen. To fight back, your OpenMedia team has joined forces with our friends at Demand Progress (and others!) to stop this.

You probably haven't heard a lot of talk of this deal, which pleases Charter.

Charter saw how spectacularly Comcast failed at their attempt to takeover Time Warner, and so they're pulling out all the stops to sell a pretty picture to decision-makers at the FCC.1

That's all well and good until you look a little closer. Existing Time Warner Cable customers would have to shell out more for the kind of broadband plans that Charter provides.

And the staggering debt that Mega Charter would take on to acquire Time Warner Cable is troubling if they're really committed to the high costs of building more broadband in rural areas.

Big Cable has repeatedly shown they can't be trusted, because they don't have to win your trust when they corner the market in your community. Tell the FCC to stand with Internet customers and oppose this deal. (We'll also forward your comment to the Senate.)

The truth is that in the long run, this merger will leave people like you with the cost — making our bills go up, flattening the quality of service, and fattening the pockets of people like Charter's Thomas Rutledge and Time Warner Cable's Robert D. Marcus — both of whom would receive more than $100 million in golden parachutes and payouts.2

Malone knows how to close a cable company merger, and he has the influence and money to do it.3

We've got to show the FCC that they must oppose this merger if they want to cement a legacy of broadband access and competition. Will you send a comment to the FCC today?

Together, we can stop Big Cable from getting even bigger.

Thanks.

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The consumer will lose if the Charter-Time Warner merger goes through

From Free Press Action Fund:

This week, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler admitted that he “has not done enough” to encourage competition between cable giants.1

We appreciate the chairman's sentiments — and have something he can do right now: Block the $90 billion merger between Charter and Time Warner Cable.

In fact, Wheeler has all the power he needs to stop this deal, a move that would encourage competition rather than crush it.

Take action now: Tell Chairman Wheeler to stop Charter.

If this merger is approved, Charter and Comcast would offer service to nearly 80 percent of U.S. homes.

Together they would have unprecedented control over our ability to connect and communicate. Without any other meaningful competition, they’d be able to charge us whatever they want for our connections. Higher prices would leave even more people on the wrong side of the digital divide — hitting low-income communities of color the hardest.

Wheeler knows "digital divide" isn't just some wonky term — it’s a chasm that affects people's day-to-day lives.2

Here’s the question: Will Wheeler do more to encourage competition — or will he stand with Big Cable? The choice is his.

Tell Wheeler to stop Charter before it gobbles up the competition, raises rates and makes it even harder for people to get online.

Thanks for all that you do—

Mary Alice, Candace, Lucia and the rest of the Free Press team
freepress.net

P.S. Rumor has it that the FCC could vote on Charter’s takeover of Time Warner Cable as soon as March. Your voice is needed right now: Tell Chairman Wheeler to block the merger. Thank you!

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We won Comcast backs off from the merger

From Fight For The Future:

Big news: Comcast officially called it quits on merging with Time Warner! The mega-deal that would have given them control over more than half the country’s Internet users is dead.1

It was supposed to be the largest cable merger ever, combining the two largest, most hated cable companies into a single, massive political and economic monopoly. And now, thanks to hundreds of thousands of people like you taking action, that deal is not going to happen. This happened because of our power and ability to work together.

This win means we should be smart and take steps right now to protect the free and open Internet. We know Comcast is putting more energy into attacking net neutrality in Congress and in the courts, trying to get their way by throwing huge amounts of money anywhere they can.

That’s why we created Comcast Customer Help — a site where you can see which members of Congress are doing Comcast’s bidding and make them stop. Click here to check out the worst offenders.

2015 has been an amazing year for Internet users because we’ve made it a terrible year for Comcast's schemes to control the Internet. Together, we won net neutrality and put an end to their schemes to be a gatekeeper to what we see and do on the Internet. Today, we stopped them from merging with Time Warner and creating a single, hyper-powerful cable monopoly.

We beat a monopoly twice in one year. That never happens. We're in this interesting moment where because we've been smart, coordinated, and powerful, we're creating a domino of wins in our issue area. Everything little thing you do now can have an exponential effect for good.

That's why we can’t stop here. Comcast is trying to use special rules in Congress to overturn the new net neutrality rules — and given the millions of dollars they spend every year lobbying Congress, we can’t let up for a second.

Help us hold Comcast’s biggest Congressional allies accountable. Check out Comcast Customer Help now.

For the Internet,
Fight for the Future

P.S. This huge win is proof that the campaigns we’re running work -- and a reminder that when we come together as Internet users we wield an incredible amount of influence.

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Comcast is on the ropes now is time to deliver the knockout punch

From Demand Progress:

Comcast is already America's most-hated corporation — but now it wants to take over Time Warner Cable and expand its empire to include the wires that reach into 60% of Americans' homes.

The Federal Communications Commission heard us and supported our demands for Net Neutrality, but the massive cable monopoly that Comcast wants to build will have the market and political power to circumvent or strip away critical consumer protections.

Will you submit a comment to the FCC and tell them to block Comcast?

But all of a sudden things aren't looking great for Comcast. For the second time in just a few months, activists and consumers have one of the country's most powerful corporations on the ropes. You can help us throw the knockout punch.

Reports over the last week or so make it clear that we have allies inside of two regulatory bodies that would need to approve the merger: The attorneys who oversee the proposal for the Department of Justice look poised to urge that it be blocked. And the FCC is forcing the proposal through a particularly rigorous process.

It's not a done deal yet, but Comcast is flailing — let's finish them off. Just click here.

Protect Net Neutrality protest the Time Warner/Comcast merger

From Free Press Action Fund:

Comcast treats its customers so horribly that folks are now documenting their experiences with the company. Perhaps you've heard the excerpt from that epic phone call where the company refused to let a customer cancel his service?

And both Comcast Doesn't Give a F*CK3 (NSFW, language!) and Last Week Tonight With John Oliver4 have skewered Comcast's terrible tactics.

It seems like everyone has a story about how awful Comcast is. And since the company's pulling out all the stops to sell its merger with Time Warner Cable, it's more important than ever for people like you to speak out about how bad Comcast really is.

What's your story? Tell the FCC why you oppose this merger.

We will deliver your comments to the Federal Communications Commission, which has the power to block this merger. Comcast's shelling out millions of dollars to push this deal, and it's crucial that Washington decision-makers hear your stories before they make up their minds.

Comcast has the worst track record: Horrific customer service. Constant rate hikes. Net Neutrality violations. It's no wonder the public recently voted it the Worst Company in America (for the second time).

We can't let Comcast get any bigger. Speak out and tell the FCC what you think.

Together we can stop this merger.

Thanks for all that you do—

Mary Alice, Candace, Misty and the rest of the Free Press team
freepress.net

P.S. We're working round the clock to stop this merger. Help support our campaign with a donation of $10 (or more!) today. Thank you!