The FCC has approved the AT&T (Unholy) Merger with DIRECTV

Here is a link to what the FCC had to say:
https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-grants-approval-att-directv-transaction

Here is what they said for those lazy to follow a link:

Today, the Federal Communications Commission grants – with
conditions – approval of the transfer of control of licenses and authorizations from DIRECTV to
AT&T Inc. (AT&T). The approval will allow AT&T to acquire DIRECTV and merge the two
companies into one combined entity. An Order detailing the Commission’s reasoning and the
conditions will be issued shortly.
The Commission’s decision is based on a careful, thorough review of the record, which includes
extensive economic analysis and documentary data from the applicants, as well as comments
from interested parties. Based on this review, the Commission has determined that granting the
application, subject to certain conditions, is in the public interest.
As part of the merger, AT&T-DIRECTV will be required to expand its deployment of high-
speed, fiber optic broadband Internet access service to 12.5 million customer locations as well as
to E-rate eligible schools and libraries. In addition, AT&T-DIRECTV is prohibited from using
discriminatory practices to disadvantage online video distribution services and will submit its
Internet interconnection agreements for Commission review. Finally, AT&T-DIRECTV will
offer broadband services to low-income consumers at discounted rates.
The conditions imposed by the Commission address potential harms presented by the
combination of AT&T, one of the nation’s largest telephone and Internet service providers, and
DIRECTV, the nation’s largest satellite video provider. The conditions also ensure that the
benefits of the merger will be realized. These targeted conditions, which generally will remain in
effect for four years after the merger closes, include:
 Fiber to the Premises (FTTP) Deployment. Recognizing that the merger reduces
AT&T-DIRECTV’s incentive to deploy FTTP service, the Commission adopts as a
condition of this merger the expansion of FTTP service to 12.5 million customer
locations. This condition also responds to the harm of the loss of a video competitor
in areas where AT&T and DIRECTV had directly competed before the merger by
providing a pathway for increased competition from services that rely on broadband
Internet to deliver video.
 Gigabit Service to E-rate Eligible Schools and Libraries. In addition, to ensure that
schools and libraries also benefit from expanded fiber deployment to consumers and
institutions, the Commission is also requiring AT&T-DIRECTV to offer gigabit
service to any E-rate eligible school or library where AT&T-DIRECTV deploys
FTTP service.
 Non-Discriminatory Usage-Based Practices. Recognizing that AT&T is the only
major ISP that applies “data caps” across the board to all of its fixed broadband
customers and that this merger increases the incentive of AT&T-DIRECTV to use
strategies that limit consumers’ access to online video distribution services in order to
favor its own video services, the Commission requires AT&T-DIRECTV, as a
condition of this merger, to refrain from imposing discriminatory usage-based
allowances or other discriminatory retail terms and conditions on its broadband
Internet service.
 Internet Interconnection Disclosure Requirements. Recognizing the importance of
interconnection to the operation of online video services, the Commission also
requires as a condition of this merger that AT&T-DIRECTV submit its Internet
interconnection agreements so that the Commission may monitor the terms of such
agreements to determine whether AT&T-DIRECTV is denying or impeding access to
its networks in anticompetitive ways through the terms of these agreements.
 Discounted Broadband Services for Low-Income Subscribers. While finding that the
availability of better and lower priced bundles of video and broadband service is a
potential benefit of the merger, the Commission also concludes that the public
interest requires us to ensure that a bundle of video and broadband services is not the
only competitive choice for low-income subscribers who may not be able to afford
bundled services. The Commission accordingly requires as a condition of the merger
that AT&T-DIRECTV make available an affordable, low-price standalone broadband
service to low-income consumers in its broadband service area.
 Compliance Program and Reporting. Given the important role that these conditions
serve in securing the public interest benefits of the merger, the Commission requires
that AT&T-DIRECTV retain both an internal company compliance officer and an
independent, external compliance officer that will report and monitor, respectively,
the combined entity’s compliance with all conditions of the merger.

What do you guys think of this news?
I was hoping it wouldn't happen.

obligatory

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Yeah, sure, just like Comcast, TW and Verizon I'll bet they jump right on running fiber, lets see, the cost of fines or the cost of upgrading infrastructure to fiber I wonder which will be cheaper?...

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It should not have been allowed. The comeback to this is those rules theynimposed, they sound like good rules. What should happen now is all the infractions, because surely there are a great many now, be challenged and really put it to AT&T that it is not all cream and butter. Make it so the merger causes them to uphold their end of the deal and where that is even slightly shy of right then hit them with fines or court time or some other applicable punishment.

This is why I have never thought that having a government institution, the FCC, as the police for corporate shenanigans was a good idea. I had a feeling these net neutrality 'changes' weren't going to change jack shit. So long as litigation and loan legal policy never change, and a big change would be required, there will never be the mom and pop ISP revolution that we want so much. This whole FCC net neutrality thing was a smokescreen to trick people into shutting up. Government bureaucrats do not care about your service as much as you do. No one would take these companies to task better than us. A bureaucracy wasn't going to fix this. The problems behind why companies get away with this kind of nonsense are bigger than a list of no-no's issued by an incompetent agency. I said it before and I'll say it again: fixing this is going to involve fixing several other big problems that are not easily dealt with. Trial lawyers/lobbyists thrive off our current litigation system and will pour enormous resources into turning congress away from ever addressing that issue in any meaningful way. And the current administration will not let anyone touch Dodd-Frank laws outside of a congressional veto of his veto. Not enough dems, if any, would turn against him. Trust needs to be earned and the federal government has done nothing but destroy any rational justification for trust in them. Only when the consequences of ignoring us results in no re-election will we ever see a change in policies. There's no quick fix for this kind of problem. You have to solve it the right way or not at all.