WELCOME

When Verizon and AT&T started negotiating in 2015, Time Warner

Sept. 29, 2017 by Elizabeth Duran

When Verizon and AT&T started negotiating in 2015, Time Warner executives warned that the deals in the Verizon-AT&T area would be expensive, as the latter could lose millions of dollars in lost revenue. The company's lawyers had been trying to convince a judge that this was a valid point, telling him that it wasn't. However, a judge rejected that argument, ruling that the deal's benefits outweighed the costs of bringing the negotiations to a close.

Today, the courts have ruled that AT&T's offer to negotiate without a deal is not valid. The appeals court ruled that AT&T's proposed deal was not valid because it was not signed by a separate executive and had a new president.

Now, AT&T has a new president.

"AT&T is getting ready to sell off its stake in Time Warner as it prepares to acquire Time Warner Cable," said a company statement. "Time Warner Cable is the cable television backbone of the United States. When Time Warner Cable was acquired by Time Warner Cable, it was a key player in providing us with the critical infrastructure to support our network. In doing so, Time Warner Cable had a significant role in making sure that the cable television network was operating well and delivering the right content and services for the American people."

The Supreme Court's decision on the AT&T deal means it will be up to courts to decide whether AT&T gets one of the deals it wants, or whether it gets one of the other. But as a result, the Supreme Court will have to decide whether the case is valid or not, and which deals it wants to see in both.

"The court decision in AT&T's favor and the court's decision in Time Warner Cable's favor is a victory for the rights of consumers," said Michael Silverman, President and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters. "Today's ruling sends a clear message to companies like AT&T and Verizon, and to the U.S. media industry, that the media is willing to do business with the government to ensure that people's rights are respected. At the end of the day, this is a victory for consumers."

"Now is the time to take the stand and stop the consolidation of the media conglomerates," said Chris Brown, president of the Media Research Center. "To have a public hearing and public notice is just wrong. That's why we need an independent media watchdog and a media watchdog that will ensure that our companies do business with the government. So we