Layer3 TV CEO Jeff Binder met with Chairman Ajit Pai to talk about opportunities for and hurdles to new entrants in the market, the company said in a docket 17-105 ex parte filing posted Wednesday: There are "considerable costs and resources required to provide a competitive suite of channels to a wide range of subscribers, while" many cable network and broadcast partners are "supportive of Layer3 TV’s growth, expansion and reduction of costs."
Local franchising authorities continue to make such demands as requiring multiple franchises for services offered over the same cable system, fees in excess of 5 percent of gross cable revenue and sizable in-kind requirements, NCTA representatives told FCC Media Bureau and Office of General Counsel staff, according to a docket 05-311 filing posted Thursday. Pointing to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling last month rejecting FCC rules counting various in-kind charges toward franchise fees (see 1707120039), NCTA said it urged the agency to address the LFA issues.
With no one opposing or commenting on Radiate Holdings' planned buy of Wave Holdco (see 1706270013), the companies urged the FCC to approve the transaction quickly, in a docket 17-158 filing posted Tuesday on a meeting between companies' outside counsel and representatives of the International, Media, Wireline and Wireless bureaus and Office of General Counsel.
Sling TV launched a beta version of an in-browser player on Google Chrome Tuesday, enabling customers to watch live and on-demand TV in a web browser, with no app download required, it said Tuesday. Users can start live and on-demand TV “with a click of their mouse” and without having to download plug-ins or log into another device, it said. The player, offering “My TV,” the “Continue Watching” ribbon and access to account settings and parental controls, will roll out additional features on Google Chrome, including DVR and a grid guide, it said.
Restrictions on Charter Communications' debt are probably the biggest hurdle to any merger or acquisition, Wells Fargo analyst Marci Ryvicker emailed investors Monday. She said that despite Charter having been named repeatedly in recent weeks as a possible target for companies such as Altice, Verizon and Comcast, Charter's post-Time Warner Cable debt structure includes a debt capacity cap that makes a potential buyer dependent on substantial equity to fund such a deal: Altice is the least-likely buyer; Comcast is unlikely to join Altice in a joint bid; and a Verizon deal faces too many regulatory and financial barriers, she said. MoffettNathanson's Craig Moffett last week also dismissed Charter M&A speculation (see 1708100027).
Design and construction is underway to expand Altice's fiber-to-the-home network footprint so it reaches 1 million homes by the end of 2018, the company said in a news release Monday. It said work is underway covering several hundred thousand homes in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. The operator said that, beyond its FTTH network, it has expanded its 1 GB broadband service to more than 60 percent of its Suddenlink footprint and launched gigabit service in seven cities.
Murray Energy's defamation litigation against HBO, Time Warner and show host John Oliver is being remanded to the Circuit Court of Marshall County, West Virginia, where it originally was filed in June. In an order (in Pacer) Thursday granting Murray's motion to remand, U.S. District Judge John Bailey of Wheeling said Murray Energy corporations that are plaintiffs may have been defamed by statements Oliver made about CEO Bob Murray, given the close connection between the companies and Murray. Given that possible defamation, the companies were properly joined in the lawsuit and that joinder destroys the diversity jurisdiction that would have let the federal court handle the case, the judge said. Bailey also denied as moot Murray motions for a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order (see 1708020039). HBO said the remand "was not at all related to the merits of the case and as we’ve said all along we not believe anything in the show violated Mr. Murray or Murray Energy’s rights.” Murray Energy didn't comment Friday.
No report of supposed Charter Communications mergers and acquisitions -- the latest being Altice/Charter -- is credible, MoffettNathanson's Craig Moffett wrote Thursday, saying a variety of other proposed telco and media deals like Comcast/Verizon, Verizon/Dish Network, Comcast/Charter and Amazon/Dish are equally absurd. They don't "pass even the most cursory analytical tests," except for Sprint/T-Mobile -- which still is somewhat unlikely, he said: None of the proposed Charter buyers -- Verizon, SoftBank, Altice -- has the financial ability, and Comcast/Charter "would be a regulatory monstrosity" that likely wouldn't get DOJ approval -- ditto Comcast/Verizon. Verizon/Dish speculation ignores that Verizon is more interested in network densification than spectrum for adding capacity, the analyst said, and AT&T/Dish would leave AT&T overseeing a TV operation losing subscribers rapidly.
Cox Communications said its buy of Blueprint RF will complement its existing hospitality segment business of providing telco, in-room entertainment and managed Wi-Fi services to hotels, convention centers and arenas. In a news release Wednesday, Cox said it finalized its purchase of Blueprint RF, which designs, installs and supports wireline and wireless networks for hotel owners and operators.
Comcast comedy streaming service Seeso is shutting down later this year, it said in a Facebook post Wednesday. It said some of the original content moved to over-the-top service VRV.