DirecTV Now Is Effective Cable Competition, Charter Says in Petition

Saying AT&T's DirecTV Now virtual MVPD service operates like cable TV, Charter Communications wants 32 Massachusetts franchise areas and Kauai, Hawaii, to be declared effectively competitive, said an FCC docket 12-1 petition Monday. Charter said DirecTV Now satisfies the LEC test by offering comparable video programming service in areas substantially overlapping with Charter's franchise area. Charter said the Massachusetts and Hawaii markets remain subject to regulation even after the 2015 effective competition order because of revised certifications filed by those states after the order. NAB, NATOA and the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities didn't comment.