State, Local Chambers Push FCC to Approve $34.5B Charter-Cox Merger

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2025 – State and local chambers of commerce are urging the Federal Communications Commission to approve Charter Communications’ proposed acquisition of Cox Communications.

In letters to the FCC publicized Thursday, state chambers from Tennessee, Virginia, Michigan, Indiana, and South Carolina, along with regional and local chambers in Northern Virginia, San Diego and Las Vegas, argued that the deal would not harm competition due to minimal overlap between Charter and Cox territories – less than 0.1 percent, according to some filings.

One outlier, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, declined to endorse the deal, saying the FCC should examine potential impacts on broadband expansion and local employment before deciding, in a filing submitted by Evan Umpir, the group’s general counsel.

The chambers repeated several common themes: that the combined company would be better positioned to compete with fixed wireless and satellite broadband providers, that Cox’s customer service operations would be moved back to the United States under Charter’s workforce model, and that a $20 per hour minimum wage and expanded employee benefits would deliver gains for local economies. 

Several chambers offered state-specific details to bolster their support. The Indiana Chamber of Commerce cited Charter’s $176 million investment in broadband in the state in 2024, including expansions that reached 34,000 additional homes and businesses and connected 18,000 new rural locations. 

The group also pointed to Charter’s plan to deliver symmetrical multigigabit service statewide by 2027, its 450 person Indiana-based workforce, and its apprenticeship and tuition-free degree programs as evidence of long-term commitment to local communities.

Representing more than 8.5 million minority-owned businesses, the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Black Chambers, and the National Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce filed a joint letter supporting the merger, saying the combined company would create new opportunities for small businesses to participate in procurement and contracting, and expand broadband access in underserved communities.

A number of free market organizations also filed in support of the merger. The Free State Foundation, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, and a coalition of 18 groups led by the Center for Individual Freedom argued that the transaction would generate efficiencies of scale and pose no meaningful public interest harm.

The deal values Cox at $34.5 billion and would create the nation’s largest cable operator, with a combined footprint passing 69.5 million locations and serving roughly 37.6 million customers, with Charter absorbing about six million Cox subscribers into its operation. 

Not all comments on the merger have been submitted. The FCC extended the original early October filing deadline after the federal shutdown halted normal operations. As a result, stakeholders now have until Nov. 18 to file comments in the proceeding, according to an FCC notice published Thursday.