Comcast Corp News

A deal would create a major rival to Comcast Corp , the biggest operator in the U.S. cable and broadband market, and marks a triumph for Charter, which was rejected by Time Warner Cable just last year.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler reached out to the chief executives of Time Warner Cable Inc and Charter Communications Inc to convey that the agency is not against cable deals, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Time Warner Cable Inc is open to merger discussions with Charter Communications Inc following a failed $45 billion bid by Comcast Corp , according to people familiar with the matter.

Charter Communications Inc representatives have reached out to Time Warner Cable to begin discussions on a potential merger, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday.

Comcast Corp`s failed bid to buy Time Warner Cable Inc is the latest muscle flex by U.S. antitrust enforcers and will likely deter chief executives from pursuing aggressive transactions as a way to spend excess cash.

Staff attorneys at the Justice Department`s antitrust division are nearing a recommendation to block the proposed $45 billion (30 billion pound) merger of Comcast Corp and Time Warner Cable Inc , Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Comcast Corp and Time Warner Cable Inc have been sued for $20 billion for allegedly discriminating against African American-owned media and employing advocates such as the NAACP and the Rev. Al Sharpton to advance their bias.

Comcast Corp and AT&T Inc have no plans to create Internet "fast lanes" that may hurt consumers` freedom to roam the Web, the leading U.S. broadband providers told the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee chairman in recent letters.