FCC clears Charter acquisition of Cox, creating largest US ISP
Mar 2nd 2026
The FCC approved Charter’s acquisition of Cox without imposing new conditions, prompting warnings from California regulators and consumer advocates that the deal will reduce high-speed broadband competition in overlapping markets.
- The Federal Communications Commission approved Charter’s purchase of Cox, which will make Charter the largest internet service provider in the United States.
- California regulators say Charter and Cox overlap at 25,503 locations, including 16,485 locations where they are the only two providers offering at least 1,000 Mbps.
- Charter is currently the sole gigabit provider in 48 percent of its service area and Cox is sole provider in 65 percent of its area, and regulators warned the deal would expand Charter’s market power for high-speed fixed broadband.
- The FCC did not impose conditions on data caps, usage-based pricing, interconnection, or affordability, citing fixed wireless and satellite as competitive constraints.
- Consumer advocates and Public Knowledge criticized the decision as weaker than the 2016 approval of Charter’s Time Warner Cable deal, and Advance/Newhouse Partnership holds a 12 percent stake in Charter, with Advance Publications owning Ars Technica parent Condé Nast.