WASHINGTON, D.C. — With speculation rampant that the FCC will grant approval of Nexstar Media Group’s rule-busting merger with TEGNA, issuing waivers of its ownership cap, the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau has given the green light to a $34.5 billion merger that will reshape the cable television and broadband services business.
The approval from the Bureau puts the wheels in motion on Spectrum parent Charter Communications’ acquisition of Cox Enterprises Inc.’s residential cable, commercial fiber, and managed IT and cloud businesses.
The agreement was signed on May 16, 2025, and has been under review until now.
Interestingly, once closing comes in a matter of days, the Charter name will go away. The combined company will take the Cox name and use the brand name Spectrum for the consumer market, becoming the largest residential Internet Service Provider in the market.
Charter will now indirectly control Cox’s residential broadband, video, mobile, and voice businesses; its advertising and enterprise businesses; and its Segra, UPN, and RapidScale businesses
“As approved by the FCC, the resulting combination will provide significant benefits to Americans, including in rural parts of the county, from increased investment in rural infrastructure builds to more job opportunities on U.S. soil and anti-discrimination protections,” the Commission said late Friday (2/27).
Commenting on the Bureau’s approval under delegated authority, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said, “By approving this deal, the FCC ensures big wins for Americans. This deal means that jobs are coming back to America that had been shipped overseas. It means that modern, high-speed networks will get built out in more communities across rural America. And it means that customers will get access to lower priced plans. On top of this, the deal enshrines protections against DEI discrimination.”
