US regulators have thrown a new roadblock in the path of Comcast’s $45bn takeover of Time Warner Cable, rewriting their definition of broadband to paint the largest US cable company as a more dominant force in high-speed internet access.
The US communications watchdog voted 3-2 yesterday to define broadband as an internet service with download speeds of at least 25 megabits per second, compared with its previous definition of 4 Mbps.
The Federal Communication Commission’s decision has big implications for Comcast’s bid for TWC because it dramatically changes the competitive landscape for broadband — a central consideration for regulators deciding whether to approve the deal.