On July 15, Charter Communications filed a letter with the FCC, which contains significant changes to its Internet peering policy, offering to provide settlement-free (i.e. unpaid) connections to companies like Netflix and other over-the-top carriers. Charter indicated that it is willing to abide by this policy as a condition to FCC approval of its pending merger with Time Warner Cable and Bright House until the end of 2018. 

In response to this news, COMPTEL CEO Chip Pickering said, "COMPTEL is pleased that Charter has offered modifications to its Internet interconnection policy that promotes consumer access and choice to over-the-top content and will maintain a policy of no access charges. Charter's offer to maintain this policy as a condition to its merger goes a long way in addressing concerns that the proposed merger would result in a large ISP with the size and capability to harm the development of online content, apps and services and harm the open Internet."

Pickering added that Charter's commitment on Internet interconnection policy further promotes the industry standard on settlement free peering for transit providers, CDNs, and content providers. 

"This is a free market approach that all ISPs should readily adopt to promote an open Internet, and it is a commitment that should be made in all similar mergers. Specifically, we urge the Commission to ask AT&T why it isn't willing to adopt the same policy with respect to its pending merger with DirecTV," he noted. "COMPTEL continues to review other aspects of the proposed Charter merger, and we are withholding our endorsement of the merger at this time. Nonetheless, we are very pleased to see that Charter has made a significant commitment with respect to its Internet interconnection policy, and we commend it for this progress."