In an earlier post, we talked about the FCC’s review of the Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger heating up with more than 65,000 comments filed this week. Folks in California may be interested to know that the California Public Utilities Commission is also gearing up to have its own detailed review of the merger and whether its impacts in California  will be positive or negative.

The CPUC plans to focus on the cost, reliability and availability of broadband services, and particularly the impacts of the merger on access to broadband in unserved and underserved areas, and at schools and libraries. The CPUC may impose conditions on its approval to mitigate any expected harms.  As we explain in our recent legal alert, this could be an excellent opportunity for localities and schools to voice their concerns and seek merger conditions to improve broadband access in the State.