Comcast and Time Warner Cable announced today that the proposed merger of the two broadband and cable TV giants has been called off. No specific reason was given in the announcement but the FCC staff had recently recommended that the deal be examined by an administrative law judge, throwing a gigantic roadblock into the deal which has been in the works for more than a year. The $45.2 billion Comcast offer would have been one of the largest mergers in US history. Reuters: Comcast Corp (CMCSA.O) and Time Warner Cable Inc (TWC.N) said on Friday they had abandoned their proposed $45 billion merger after U.S. regulators said the deal would give Comcast an unfair advantage in the Internet-based services market. The Department of Justice said the plan to merge the two biggest U.S. cable companies would have made Comcast an "unavoidable gatekeeper" for broadband services. The deal had faced vocal criticism from some politicians, media company...(Read Full Post)