AT&T in advanced talks to acquire DirecTV for ~$50 billion

[bigsnake49]

If I was the FCC/DOJ, I would force AT&T to divest the landline division, I don't want them to be a choke point to the delivery of video over three different media: Satellite, broadband and wireless.

[jamisonshaw125]

Just saw this and practically fell out of my seat laughing. the caption was "one bandwidth to rule them all" LMAO.

 

[lordsutch]

If I was the FCC/DOJ, I would force AT&T to divest the landline division, I don't want them to be a choke point to the delivery of video over three different media: Satellite, broadband and wireless.

That might not be a bad condition on the merger, although it undermines a major justification for it from AT&T's perspective, which is adding subscribers to give it more leverage in carriage negotiations with cable and broadcast networks.

 

One alternative would be to apply common carrier rules to all of the landline division, including broadband, which would allow for more IPTV landline competition to U-verse.

[bigsnake49]

That might not be a bad condition on the merger, although it undermines a major justification for it from AT&T's perspective, which is adding subscribers to give it more leverage in carriage negotiations with cable and broadcast networks.

 

One alternative would be to apply common carrier rules to all of the landline division, including broadband, which would allow for more IPTV landline competition to U-verse.

We need FTTH in this country to truly compete with cable. I don't know why AT&T/Verizon won't make the investment. Cord cutting is real. OTT over fiber/wireless is where it's at.

[greenvillesc]

We need FTTH in this country to truly compete with cable. I don't know why AT&T/Verizon won't make the investment. Cord cutting is real. OTT over fiber/wireless is where it's at.

help me out on the lingo "FTTH OTT" ?

[afazel]

help me out on the lingo "FTTH OTT" ?

 

Fiber to the Home, and Over the Top.

[WiWavelength]

...and Over the Top.

 

Yes, arm wrestling for custody of his son.  What quality cinema.

 

 

AJ

[afazel]

Yes, arm wrestling for custody of his son.  What quality cinema.

 

 

AJ

 

Looks like a montage of techniques to break your own arm while arm wrestling.

[lordsutch]

We need FTTH in this country to truly compete with cable. I don't know why AT&T/Verizon won't make the investment. Cord cutting is real. OTT over fiber/wireless is where it's at.

Because they have basically decided to abandon investing in wireline in favor of wireless; big cable ate their lunch with DOCSIS over coax, and they've decided that the risk/reward is better to try to deploy fixed wireless except where Google or municipalities are shaming them into proper fiber buildouts.

 

Frankly I think the way out is something like the Amtrak model: have governments (preferably state and local) or coops buy out the basic wireline universal service business.

[bigsnake49]

Because they have basically decided to abandon investing in wireline in favor of wireless; big cable ate their lunch with DOCSIS over coax, and they've decided that the risk/reward is better to try to deploy fixed wireless except where Google or municipalities are shaming them into proper fiber buildouts.

 

Frankly I think the way out is something like the Amtrak model: have governments (preferably state and local) or coops buy out the basic wireline universal service business.

I am with you. I would love for our local utility (FPL) to wire everybody for fiber. 

[MacinJosh]

At&t has sold it's remaining stake in America Movil so it can move forward with the DirecTV purchase.

 

http://www.phonenews.com/att-sells-entire-remaining-stake-in-america-movil-due-to-directv-purchase-27367/

[dnicekid]

For a really deep analysis of the DirectTV/AT&T merger as it pertains to Dish/Sprint, read Tim Farrar's blog:

 

http://tmfassociates.com/blog/

Thanks for the info. 

After reading it and in between the lines, i think it puts Sprint in a bad position: Buy Tmo and partner with Dish (the good) or lose tmo bid, give up spectrum, $ and watch dish buy tmo?.... Seems like Sprint has no room for mistakes at this point.. Even if they dont bid for tmo, looks like dish will try to buy tmo. Which would leave them and vzw going head to head?? As tmo/dish go at it with att with tv/phone/internet.....  

 

Would this force comcast to  A) buy dish before dish can buy tmo??? buy Sprint????

[Fraydog]

The plan I have in mind is very similar to what bigsnake49 has suggested.

 

Dish signs network sharing agreement with Sprint, and Sprint then buys T-Mobile US. Dish becomes de facto 4th carrier. Current T-Mobile stores also get divested to Dish. Significant chunks of T-Mobile leadership come over to Sprint, including Mr. Legere and Neville Ray. The EBS spectrum goes over to Dish. Spectrum screen is cleared.

 

Sprint phones sold have both CDMA2000 and UMTS capability and can be enabled for either network until the old TMUS network is integrated into Sprint. In the future handsets continue CDMA/LTE for at least five years into the future.

[bigsnake49]

The plan I have in mind is very similar to what bigsnake49 has suggested.

 

Dish signs network sharing agreement with Sprint, and Sprint then buys T-Mobile US. Dish becomes de facto 4th carrier. Current T-Mobile stores also get divested to Dish. Significant chunks of T-Mobile leadership come over to Sprint, including Mr. Legere and Neville Ray. The EBS spectrum goes over to Dish. Spectrum screen is cleared.

 

Sprint phones sold have both CDMA2000 and UMTS capability and can be enabled for either network until the old TMUS network is integrated into Sprint. In the future handsets continue CDMA/LTE for at least five years into the future.

 

Yeah, having Dish as a 4th competitor and fixed broadband provider, particularly in rural America will go a long way in greasing the skids for a Sprint/T-Mo merger.

 

A Dish/T-Mo combo could be a dangerous thing because Dish's steady revenue will pay for expansion of T-Mo's network. It will also allow the combo to offer a lot of OTT video that Sprint might not have licenses for.