Question Details
Description
Answer Download
The Question
Read the attached word document and the reference page and in 200 words or less: Summarize the methods the team used to develop creative solutions to develop this paper. Here are the things we did:
Running head: PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION Problem Identification
Learning Team A
PHL/320
November 8, 2016
Robert Key 1 PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION 2
Problem Identification Based on the article ?FCC OKs AT&T DirecTV Deal several reports were set concerning
the internet interconnection pacts as follows; The FCC approved the license and authorization
transfers that were involved in the proposed merger of AT&T, Inc.and DirecTV, Inc. with some
conditions that covered extensive commitments by the merged company in order to submit its
internet connection agreement to the authorized commission for review. The FCC? s statutory
standards for reviewing these license transfers associated with the mergers and other transactions
is to determine whether they are in the public interest or not since justice reviews transactions
under an antitrust standard (Stanton, 2015).?
Summary
AT&T?s claims to be the greatest provider of phone and cable services in the world,
implying that a larger number of subscriber?s base and corresponding ability is mainly leveraging
efficiencies to deliver low-cost programming. However, several parties have expressed concerns
regarding potential harms to smaller cable operation in accessing programming or managing to
access the content at affordable costs (Stanton, 2015). In addition to this, the public supporters
and other cable TV operators reprimand the approval order concerning merging of the two
companies because the supporting conditions to overcome harm that could be created was not
sufficiently provided. ?Generally, Techfreedom is characterized by the agency?s merger review
as regulation by extortion sites, in addition to the conditions for review of other internal
interconnection agreement and for hiring the internal and external compliance officer. The article
clearly states that the FCC is trying to recreate the traditional rate regulation in all but its name at
the expense of imposing rate regulation on the internet (Stanton, 2015).? PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION 3
Problems Concerns The problem that has arisen and affected the cable universe is lessening. In addition to
that, satellite subscriber progress has stalled DirecTV lost 133,000 net subscribers in the second
quarter. Pay TV also lost its modern development engines due to the drastic shift in the television
world. With the newly accomplished, $48.5billion AT&T-DirecTV merger, the multichannel
video-programming distributor (MVPD) business claimed a new front-runner. With 26.4 million
video clients, the post-merger AT&T has the probability of bringing high-speed Internet, voice
and video services to underserved marketplaces across the United States.
Consolidation, competition, and new watching behaviors are altering the pay TV landscape, with
more reduction anticipated as superior contracts close and minor cable organizations are broken
up by larger peers. The merge is putting small companies in a tight situation where it's forced to
have a mandatory fused cable company eventually. (Farrell 2015).
Why this is an Underlying Problem
The selected works discuss the issue that is mergers in the telecommunication industry
which result in the problem of the decline of smaller companies. Farrell?s Eat or Be Eaten
presents the general merger and acquisition landscape in telecommunication and its impact on
firms over the years with firms that don?t merge declining and wholly disappearing. Santon?s
article specifically addresses one such merger, the AT&T-DirecTV merger. Such mergers are an
issue because they go against the public good and undercut smaller rivals in the market and in
the long run could result in a monopoly.
The underlying problem with this issue is the constant change in technology and in trends
in the telecommunications industry. Cable operators were dependent on their basic-video
subscriber rolls, but these stopped growing with the turn of the new century (Farrell, 2015). PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION 4 Companies with the required infrastructure were able to make a smooth move to the broadband
industry. AT&T had a monopoly on broadband infrastructure, and its acquisition of TCI
Communications placed it at the top, and constant mergers have enabled it to stay there. The
basic-video subscriber industry peaked in 2001 at 66.9 consumers and by 2014 had sunk to 54
million subscribers (Farrell, 2015). Companies like Comcast, which continued to focus on
mechanisms to grow their video subscriber subscribers, suffered losses that moved it from 3rd in
the industry in 1995 to sixth five years later (Farrell, 2015). The cable industry shifted again
towards satellite subscriptions putting DirecTV in the big leagues at position 3 in 2,000 (Farrell,
2015).
It is clear that companies that resist the constant changes in technology suffer losses. This
then leads to larger companies acquiring them to use certain elements of their service while
preventing their financial crisis. Different companies bring different strengths to the table as in
the case of AT&T broadband and TCI. Currently, companies still merge to combine their unique
strengths. Take the 2015 merger of AT&T and DirecTV for example; DirecTV lost 133,000 net
subscribers in a single quarter (Farrell, 2015). It was imperative that it changed some aspects of
its service. Creating its own broadband infrastructure would not be economically feasible
(Santon, 2015). AT&T would benefit from DirecTV?s satellite services and there a merger was
born.
Relate the Research to the Problem
The merging of DirecTV and AT&T has been of great benefit to the public and for
DirecTV as well. DirecTV has always been more affordable than cable, but it wasn't as appealing
as other cable companies as it didn't offer the bundles the public was interested in. This merge
gave AT&T the opportunity to lead the way and to redefine the video entertainment business for PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION 5 a mobile and high-speed world. This deal is good for competition and the public's interest. The
public has more affordable choices and access to broadband and telephone service.
After the justice department investigation, the Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer stated
the combination of AT&T and DirecTV does not pose a significant risk to competition (Stanton,
2015). This merge was a bigger benefit to DirecTV; consumers expect to get the content, and
programming they need as well as data on any device they want. If a provider doesn't satisfy
their customers in the future, they will be out of business. With the merging of the two
companies, it puts AT&T at number 1 in the top MVPD's list (Farrell, 2015).
?Problem Identification
Clearly defining problems in a business setting is imperative to explore the situation in
depth. The acquisition of DirecTV by AT&T in 2015 undeniably contained several challenges,
yet many times the problems provide their solutions. One of the concerns raised was that of
potential customers that live in MDUs (multi-dwelling units) would not be able to benefit from
the promotional pricing of combining Internet and television services because he or she would
not be permitted to install the dish satellite needed for DirecTV, (Stanton, 2015). Accurately
defining the problem makes it easier to find solutions to any business situation; it also saves the
company time, money, and resources. Another problem presented in this merger between AT&T
and DirecTV is the impact it would have on smaller cable providers. Without a doubt AT&T and
DirecTV are large entertainment providers and the merger would certainly affect all competitors.
However, some restrictions apply for certain customers, such as the price of bundle packages,
availability, and contract terms. Although the merger of these two huge companies did impact
other providers, it has not destroyed these companies, and it is evident that the fierce competition
still exists in the entertainment world. PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION 6
Conclusion As cited by (Farrell, 2015, p. 1), ?AT&T completed its $48.5 billion acquisition of
Direct TV, raising its video subscriber tally to 26.3 million customers and vaulting the telco to
the top of the list of multichannel video programming distributors.? AT&T has the capability of
bringing high-speed internet, voice and video services all across the United States. The constant
change in technology and trends in the telecommunications industry is always in demand. It is
clear that companies that resist the constant changes in technology suffer losses. By AT&T
acquiring Direct TV and their services, it prevented an economic deficit. This merge also lead
the way and redefined the video entertainment business for a mobile and high-speed world. AT
& T and Direct TV have proven they planned accordingly during this merger to avoid a serious
economic decline in their business. It is clear they have evaluated their plans for validity to
ensure the overall success of the company. References
Farrell, M. (2015, August). Eat or Be Eaten. Multichannel News, 8-10. PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION 7 Frieden, R. Rationales For and Against FCC Involvement in Resolving Internet Service Provider
Interconnection Disputes. SSRN Electronic Journal.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1838655
Stanton, L. (2015, August). FCC Oks AT&T-DirecTV Deal, Sets Condition to Report
Internet Interconnection Pact. Focus On, 81(15).
Solution details
Solution #000176278
Pay using PayPal (No PayPal account Required) or your credit card . All your purchases are securely protected by .
About this Question
STATUSAnswered
QUALITYApproved
DATE ANSWEREDOct 14, 2020
EXPERTTutor
ANSWER RATING
BEST TUTORS
We have top-notch tutors who can do your essay/homework for you at a reasonable cost and then you can simply use that essay as a template to build your own arguments.
You can also use these solutions:
- As a reference for in-depth understanding of the subject.
- As a source of ideas / reasoning for your own research (if properly referenced)
- For editing and paraphrasing (check your institution's definition of plagiarism and recommended paraphrase).
STUCK WITH YOUR PAPER?
Order New Solution. Quick Turnaround
Click on the button below in order to Order for a New, Original and High-Quality Essay Solutions. New orders are original solutions and precise to your writing instruction requirements. Place a New Order using the button below.
WE GUARANTEE, THAT YOUR PAPER WILL BE WRITTEN FROM SCRATCH AND WITHIN A DEADLINE.
