Broadband at the Center of Charter-Time Warner Cable Deal

When Charter Communications announced a pair of deals to acquire Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks for a total of $67.1 billion, it put the focus squarely on the cable industry’s future: broadband.

Executives said the acquisitions would create a stronger national player that would offer faster services meant for watching online video and playing games, as well as new out-of-home wireless Internet options. They even raised the possibility of introducing a national streaming television service that would not require a traditional cable subscription. “It is not just the small screens or the large screens in the house, it is the mobile screens and more,” said Thomas M. Rutledge, Charter’s chief executive. “I am not sure how the services will evolve, whether they will be sold in a big pack, a little pack or individually,” he added. “As a true pure play, we are open to all of that.” Charter’s promises underscored the features that it hopes will appeal to regulators and consumers alike: that Internet service now is the most important component of a cable package as the ultimate gateway to information and entertainment. And that Charter’s new heft — the acquisitions would approximately quadruple its customer base to about 24 million, compared with Comcast’s 27 million — will give it more resources and incentives to introduce innovation and competitive services.