Why is there no Cox cable in Atlanta? (Macon: stations, radio)

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

The reason there is no Cox Cable in Atlanta is because they also own the city's largest newspaper, television and radio stations and federal anti-trust (non compete) laws FORBID IT.

(How Cox has been able to maintain ownership of both the AJC and WSB radio / TV all these years is pretty amazing.)

I'm really surprised more people on this site don't understand how the FCC operates.

Anti-trust laws are examined from the department of justice and the FTC via the Sherman Act, Clayton Act, and the FTC Act.

Nothing in those laws would have any issues on competition about cable and television station. Under those laws they would be regarded as different markets. There is a possibility they could kick in very small markets where there are few if any other media owners present, but that would never happen with the FCC's stricter rules.

The FCC's rules on cross ownership between a local tv station and a cable company was short-lived and has been repealed after it wasn't held up in a US District Court. It could have lasted long enough to give another company a first mover advantage, but if Cox had really wanted to they could have bought out AT&T cable.

The cross ownership law between the local TV stations and the newspaper was really only strict between '75 and '96. It has been changed slightly several times sense. They couldn't own a second TV station at any point.

They were one of a hand full of markets that were grandfathered in when the rule came into play in 1975. They had owned both for over 25 years at that point and the market had a competing newspaper and several competing TV stations, so they had a pretty good argument for it. The newspaper merger was also after the rules on newspaper/tv ownership were relaxed and Atlanta is a top 20 market (so a more crowded media marketplace), so it was easy to keep grandfathered status.

They currently own their max, unless the rules have changed again in the last several years (which is possible). The newspaper, 1 tv station, and 6 radio stations.

If they operated a cable system, they would have no problems. The only thing that could possibly bring them a problem is if they didn't operated like a typical cable operator and didn't carry enough competing tv stations/networks. There are some set percentages allowed by the District court, but I don't remember what they are.

This is especially a moot point since "must-carry" regulations on cable operators would side with local TV competitors to WSB to be carried on any cable system that would be owned by Cox in the market. The only way this might come into question is if they had a cable system with fewer than 36 channels, which is highly unlikely given the current modern cable system market.

[GRS86]

Originally Posted by PKCorey

Thanks.

Sold it and they still built their service back up again



Forgot about that rule.

Interesting that FCC enforces here but allows corporations like Sinclair to get around it with LMA and other schemes. Baltimore has 6 full power stations and Sinclair controls 3 via LMA (FOX, MyTV and CW).



I wish, it was easy to find the areas that AT&T provide U-Verse service online in the metro area.


For the Atlanta old timers, who were the previous cable companies? United Artists, TCI or Comcast?

ITP, it started off as Cable Atlanta, Cable DeKalb, Cable East Point/College Park, and Scripps Howard in DeKalb north of I-85. OTP, Wometco was in Clayton, Rockdale, Douglas, most of Cobb except Smyrna, which was Smyrna Cable, and North Cobb, which was Time Warner. Wometco also had a good chunk of Gwinnett, except for the northeastern portion of the county that was NE Gwinnett, which later became Charter, and Adelphia in eastern Gwinnett, which later became Comcast.

In North Fulton, Sandy Springs was part of Cable Atlanta. Roswell was Roswell Cablevision. Alpharetta and the rest of N Fulton had Cable Alpharetta!!!

In the late 80's, all the Cable America properties became Prime Cable. In the early 90's' they became GCTV. The late 90's they became Media One, then AT&T Broadband, then finally, Comcast/Xfinity. In the 90's', all of the former Wometco properties were also purchased by Media One. That was basically the beginning of cable consolidation in Metro Atlanta.

Charter bought Smyrna Cable, Roswell Cable, and NE Gwinnett Cable, plus a bunch of properties in the Metro Atlanta Exurbs.

Comcast obtained N Cobb in a system swap with Time Warner, and Comcast purchased Scripps Howard Cable in N DeKalb and Rome!!

So this is basically how we have arrived at an Xfinity / Charter duopoly here in Metro Atlanta!!!

[Fubarbundy]

Charter might merge with Time Warner which would only strengthen the duopoly here with Comcast, leaving Cox even more in the lurch.

I wonder what internet they use at their hq, AT&T?

[flyonpa]

L3 Is big in the Corporate Intranet/Internet, Backbone, "Virtual Clouds"

There is a ALOT of fiber running around all the office building areas/parks. From many different companies,
Also Many Companies with HUGE data requirements/security Get "Dark Fiber" and light it
themselves, and don't share the Fiber (At all, or until it gets to a COLOC site, where it get goes encrypted on to multiple carriers backbone networks.

[PKCorey]

Thanks for that history, GRS86

[GRS86]

Originally Posted by PKCorey

Thanks for that history, GRS86

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by GRS86

Another thing, Grs. I didn't realize Scripps Howard had a cable division. Interesting tidbit.

[GRS86]

Originally Posted by PKCorey

Another thing, Grs. I didn't realize Scripps Howard had a cable division. Interesting tidbit.

They sold off the Cable TV division to concentrate more on the core business of newspapers.

[AcidSnake]

No mention of the 1996 Telecommunications Act regarding media consolidation?

[Zanarkand A East]

Still surprised there's no Time Warner Cable here, what which Turner based here (for now...)