Now What? MSOs Finish Up Fine Points Following FCC's Adelphia Approval

After more than 400 days of review at the FCC (not to mention a 4-hour delay before yesterday’s vote), Time Warner and Comcast finally received the govt’s approval to proceed with their acquisition of Adelphia. The next step will be for the MSOs to finish up a mountain of paperwork and internal details so they can take control of their new systems Aug 1. Time Warner has already launched http://www.twcusoon.com (see you soon, get it?) to introduce itself to new customers. The MSO’s research found that consumers don’t want any surprises or hassles when a new company comes into the market, so the site tries to put them at ease. "…for the most part, you won’t have to do a thing. Just sit back and enjoy new and improved cable service," the Website says. "Take it from us—we’ve been doing this for over 38 years, and we’ve never been more excited about our business." Advertising carrying a similar theme will also launch. On Aug 1, TW will send out "Welcome Kits" to its new subs that include a letter from a local exec, product information, etc. Events are slated in new markets such as L.A. and Cleveland to introduce the company (politicians, public figures, etc will be on hand). With Adelphia and Comcast not having much of a business services presence, Time Warner Cable Business Services is expected to aggressively market its services (it already has a link up on twcusoon.com). Comcast will likely take a different approach going forward. Its system gains are generally incremental pickups near existing markets, instead of the whole market gains (L.A., Buffalo, etc) TW will have after the sale and system swaps. Comcast will take a localized, market-by-market approach for the transition vs unveiling new branding and products in all the systems on 1 particular day (as it did with AT&T Broadband).