Two of the largest internet providers in the US are set to merge, as the FCC announced its approval of Charter’s $34.5 billion acquisition of Cox Communications Friday afternoon.
Charter, which sells phone, internet and TV services under the Spectrum brand, agreed to buy Cox in May 2025. The deal will create the largest internet provider in the country, with Cox’s 6.5 million customers joining Charter’s 31 million.
While internet monopolies are a major problem in the US -- over a third of Americans only have access to one or no internet provider -- this acquisition won’t necessarily make that problem worse. That’s because Charter and Cox have very little overlap in the areas where they operate.
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“No consumer is going to lose a competitive offering they currently have,” Blair Levin, a former FCC chief of staff and a telecom industry analyst at New Street Research, tells CNET. “There's no reduction of competition in any relevant geographical product market.”
The FCC’s announcement doesn’t specify when Cox customers will transfer to Spectrum, but it could be a welcome change for many. Cox received a score of 68/100 in the most recent American Customer Satisfaction Index survey, while Spectrum earned a 71/100.
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However, a CNET analysis of internet plans found Spectrum’s price hikes to be steeper, with Spectrum increasing prices by an average of $37 monthly after one or two years, depending on the location. Cox’s plans increased by $28 per month, but only after two years.
Some critics argued that the FCC should have done more to help consumers before granting Charter approval.
“The FCC approved the largest cable merger in nearly a decade and did not require Charter to do anything it wasn’t already planning to do,” John Bergmayer, legal director at the consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge, said in a statement. “Consumers, as always, will bear the costs of reduced competition.”
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