FCC Votes to Reverse Charter Overbuild Condition

The Federal Communications Commission has voted to modify the Charter-Time Warner Cable deal conditions by removing the requirement that Charter overbuild a million internet access customers who could already get high-speed access from another provider, apparently. The idea of the condition, imposed under former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, was to promote price and speed competition.

New FCC chairman Ajit Pai circulated the item in March, after which it was widely expected to be approved. The buildout requirement remains, but according to the item that could now all be buildouts to currently unserved homes, with no overbuilding. However, Charter could still choose to overbuild those one million, they are just no longer required to do so. Charter in 2016 said it intended to focus its overbuild activity against teleommunication broadband providers, not other cable companies.