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FCC signs off on Charter purchase of Time Warner

Charter's $78 billion acquisition gets the OK from FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. The Justice Department also says it will let the deal go through.

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Headshot of Rochelle Garner
Rochelle Garner Features Editor / News
Rochelle Garner is features editor for CNET News. A native of the mythical land known as Silicon Valley, she has written about the technology industry for more than 20 years. She has worked in an odd mix of publications -- from National Geographic magazine to MacWEEK and Bloomberg News.
Rochelle Garner

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler on Monday said he's recommending the agency's commissioners approve Charter Communications' acquisition of Time Warner Cable. Separately, the US Department of Justice also said it will allow the $78 billion deal to go ahead; it also approved Charter's $10.4 billion purchase of Bright House Networks.

Those acquisitions will make Charter the second-largest provider of cable and TV service in the US, after Comcast.

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The Justice Department said it is proposing a settlement that would restrict Charter's ability to make it harder for streaming services like Netflix and Hulu to get video content from programmers. Wheeler is proposing conditions that would bring high-speed Internet to more homes.