Charter Withdraws Petition to Sunset Merger Conditions

The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau issued a Public Notice acknowledging Charter’s withdrawal of its Petition for consent to sunset on May 18, 2021 two conditions related to its merger with Time Warner Cable Inc. and Bright House Networks, LLC: (1) the prohibition on imposing data caps and usage-based pricing mechanisms; and (2) the requirement to offer to connect its IP network to any qualifying entity free of charge and on standardized terms.  The original merger conditions last for 7 years, but the approval included a process for Charter to petition for relief from these two conditions as of the five-year anniversary of the closing, which Charter filed last summer.  Charter’s very brief Letter of withdrawal provides no explanation for the action.