Cox Acquisition of UPN Approved by Wireline Bureau
The FCC Wireline Bureau signed off on Cox Communications' buy of a controlling interest in Unite Private Networks (UPN), it said in a public notice Thursday. There was no opposition to the petition filed in July, the bureau said. UPN…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
provides telco enterprise services in 20 states. Cox and UPN have overlapping service areas in a handful of markets, but the cable operator/telecom provider won't likely have sufficient market power to raise prices in them, the bureau said. The deal instead "will result in a stronger competitive LEC" better able to compete against the incumbent LEC, it said. Under the deal, UPN also will have access to a credit facility that can fund capital projects such as expanding its fiber footprint inside and outside its current markets. Cox previously said UPN would keep its current management team and operate as a stand-alone business.