Verizon’s proposed acquisition of spectrum space from various cable TV companies is about to to go through, says the Wall Street Journal, among others. This is the deal where Verizon would drop several billion dollars on spectrum space that the cable companies aren’t using, Verizon would then use it to build out their network.
Citing people familiar with the matter, the Journal says the meat of the deal is going through but the ancillary agreements are getting dinged:
To clinch their deal with Verizon Wireless, the cable companies have agreed to limit the scope and duration of side agreements to sell each other’s services, the people said. Consumer groups and other critics had said the joint marketing pacts were effectively agreements between the companies not to compete for customers seeking broadband Internet, television and phone services in their homes.
Guests we’ve talked to on Tech Report often cited the joint marketing agreement to be perhaps the most problematic part of this arrangement since it went further to quash competition than even the spectrum buy-up. Still, the whole thing is a big deal. It’s one of those tech stories that are a little hard to follow because issues around the broadcast spectrum are kind of hard to grasp at times. What it means for you and me is that Verizon is about to get a lot bigger and a lot more powerful. Wait, wasn’t Verizon already big and powerful? Exactly.
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