AT&T And Time Warner: Why Cord-Cutters Could Get Screwed Either Way [telecom]

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By Jared Newman

Let's assume for a few minutes that the government's attempt to block AT&T from buying Time Warner isn't motivated by politics.

Maybe the Department of Justice has a point: Putting the nation's largest TV provider - and second-largest wireless carrier - in charge of the company that runs HBO and Turner networks could lead to higher prices and fewer choices. That, in turn, could weaken the factors that have allowed cord-cutting to flourish over the past few years - namely, a decline in traditional pay-TV viewers and a wave of new streaming alternatives.