STOP THE MERGER

Cable giants Charter and Time Warner Cable are trying to merge into a colossal new cable company that is nothing more than a Comcast clone. This is bad news for Black communities across the country Many Black folks struggle to pay their overpriced cable and Internet bills as it is — and many can’t afford to get connected in the first place. But New Charter will be imposing massive price hikes on its customers to cover the tens of billions of dollars in debt it’s taking on. In places like New York and Los Angeles, where New Charter will have a total monopoly, there will be no incentive to fairly price its Internet service. The Internet is a lifeline for communities — it’s necessary in order to pursue job opportunities, do homework, apply for college and gather the information necessary to participate in our political system. This merger would further isolate low-income communities of color from this essential lifeline and worsen the digital divide. But we can stop this merger, just like we stopped Comcast when it tried to merge with Time Warner. Tell the FCC: No more mergers! Stop Charter’s takeover of Time Warner Cable! Nearly 20 million subscribers would be served by New Charter — making it nearly as big as Comcast. If this deal goes through Charter will jack up your prices to fatten the pockets of a few greedy cable executives — Time Warner Cable executive Robert Marcus will get more than $100 million if the merger goes through — leaving hard working members like you to cover the bill with huge rate hikes. In fact, because there will be even less competition among all of the cable and Internet providers, we will likely see industry-wide price increases. The Charter and Time Warner Cable merger won’t just impact their users, every person’s Internet bill could go up because of it. Not only is everyone likely to see their prices go up, but other harmful monopolistic practices could be implemented - such as arbitrary data caps and overage penalties.1 With their largest shareholder known as the “Darth Vader of cable” for his ruthless and monopolistic business practices we know that New Charter will do nothing to ensure fairly priced Internet access for Black communities. This merger is bad news for Black communities that are already struggling to close the gap of the digital divide. But we’ve stopped big cable mergers before, and with your help, we’re going to do it again. 2 Tell the FCC: No more mergers! Stop Charter’s takeover of Time Warner! Thanks and Peace, --Brandi, Rashad, Arisha, Evan, and the rest of the ColorOfChange team.    November 11, 2015 References, 1. "Stop the Charter-Time Warner Cable Merger!" Free Press http://act.colorofchange.org/go/5492?t=6&akid=5029.2425420.3IyWx1 2. "Cable's Darth Vader Is Back," Forbes 7-11-2001 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/5493?t=8&akid=5029.2425420.3IyWx1 Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU—your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don't share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. ColorOfChange is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. Help keep our movement strong. If you're absolutely sure you don't want to hear from ColorOfChange again, click here to unsubscribe.