Although the top two cable providers in the United States — one being Time Warner Cable, which is popular in Athens — are on the cusp of joining forces, subscribers shouldn’t anticipate any change in the near future, cable officials have said.
Earlier this month, Comcast reportedly offered $45 billion in a deal to acquire Time Warner, which, according to some estimates, would form by-and-large the largest cable provider in the U.S.
The new company will have more than 33 million subscribers, according to The Washington Post. Comcast, which also owns NBC Universal, will have added power with regards to setting the market rate.
Michael Pedelty, a spokesman for Time Warner, said it is too early to predict where prices will go, seeing as the would-be merger is still in its infancy. He believes the industry to be heavily competitive.
But nothing should change for Athens residents who subscribe to Time Warner anytime soon, said Mike Hogan, another Time Warner spokesman.
“But we believe any changes Comcast brings will be exciting offerings for Time Warner Cable customers,” Hogan said. “Transactions of this magnitude are complex, so it will take months to complete this merger.”
Mayor Paul Wiehl said he has heard prior complaints from his constituents related to Time Warner, many of which were programming or signal related.
“I’ve been sitting in (Athens) City Council since 1992, and I know of two occasions where citizens came up and said they wanted to see change involving the bundle,” Wiehl said.
He noted the management at the local Time Warner branch is reducing the hours at their Station Street location because an increasing number of customers are resolving issues through their website. It was not immediately clear how a merger would affect that location.
A lack of competition locally will remain in the area even with the merger, local officials have said, as it is extremely difficult for a smaller provider to break in.
“To say you’re going to take them on, it’ll take a lot to get there,” Wiehl said.
Athens County Commissioner Chris Chmiel said he has heard people speak about how they wish there were other options available. He added the lack of competition in the area likely ends up hurting customers.
“I don’t know how we change it,” Chmiel said. “That’s something I can look into.”
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