How Long Before Comcast Ends Effort to Acquire Time Warner Cable?

If history provides any guidance, the Comcast bid to acquire Time Warner Cable is going to be withdrawn. The staff of the Federal Communications Commission has called for a hearing by an administrative law judge on the proposed acquisition.

In 2011, AT&T and T-Mobile USA dropped a planned $39 billion merger after the Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit to block the deal and the FCC issued a hearing designation order on the deal.

That would still leave Time Warner Cable “in play,” and another bid by Charter Communications is generally expected. In all likelihood, a successful Charter bid would create a new number-two U.S. cable TV company by customer market share.