Consumer group Public Knowledge has warned that the conditions being imposed on AT&T’s acquisition of DirecTV do not go far enough to promote competition.
"While acknowledging the effort made by [FCC] chairman Tom Wheeler to protect existing competition, encourage fibre deployment, and address affordability, no one should imagine that this has solved the underlying problem of our lack of competition," said John Bergmayer, senior staff attorney at Public Knowledge on Wednesday.
It emerged earlier this week that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission is preparing to give conditional approval to AT&T’s $48.5 billion acquisition of DirecTV.
In order to get the green light, AT&T must agree to extending fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) coverage to a further 12.5 million premises and submit all interconnection agreements to the FCC. The telco will also be prevented from excluding affiliated online video services and content from data caps on its broadband tariffs.
Public Knowledge’s Bergmayer applauded the remedies but said they expose the limits of the FCC’s and Department of Justice’s (DoJ’s) power.
"We believe additional steps would be helpful to fully protect competition and consumers," he said, urging the FCC to take measures that will promote national competition and provide greater opportunities for over-the-top (OTT) video providers.
"We look forward to working with the FCC to establish industry-wide rules that fully promote competition for all," said Bergmayer.
