Charter Hits Horry Telephone Charges of Anti-Competitive MTE Bulk Billing; Telco Fires Back

Charter Communications rejected Horry Telephone Cooperative allegations that the cable company's bulk-billing, discount arrangements with homeowners' associations in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, are "below cost" and preclude HTC from competing because it doesn't own content or have nationwide leverage to subsidize competitive markets. The "baseless" comments "raise nothing beyond the arguments against bulk billing that have been rejected by the Commission and, in this proceeding, rebutted by NCTA," Charter said Thursday in docket 17-142 on an inquiry into multiple tenant environments competition (see 1707250050). Charter said the cost lets it recover investment, with bulk billing providing a revenue stream and "financial stability" that facilitates broadband investment. Horry counsel Donald Herman said Friday that Charter's filing "further validates the confusion and complexity" of the issue, "reinforcing" the need for a rulemaking to promote competition. Horry "continues to call for the FCC, FTC and DOJ to separately investigate the anti-competitive practices being undertaken by Charter, which thwart competition through below-cost pricing and disparities in programming agreements," Herman emailed.