The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has put the Comcast/Time Warner Cable and AT&T/DirecTV mergers on hold while it decides whether Dish Network should be allowed to see Comcast and AT&T's contracts with programmers.

The two deals, priced at $45.2 billion (Comcast-Time Warner) and $48.5 billion (AT&T/DirecTV), are likely to change the TV and Internet landscape dramatically. The delay pause is being fought by all sides. Dish claims Comcast could get competitive advantage after the merger, which is why the satellite TV provider wants to see their contracts.

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Programmers are asking the FCC not to make the documents public, claiming they will do "irrevocable harm" to the programmers. CBS, 21st Century Fox, Viacom, Time Warner and Walt Disney all have asked the FCC to keep these deals private. These programmers own studios like HBO, ESPN and Comedy Central, the biggest shows on TV.

Dish Networks appears more interested in Comcast's dealings than AT&T, but both mergers have been put on hold. The FCC has not stated when the negotiations will resume, but it is clear this is one secret Comcast might have to give up, in order to acquire Time Warner Cable.

The FCC did state at the start of this 180-deadline that proprietary material would be protected, but it appears easier said than done. With the public getting more annoyed each day over the mergers - it is only a matter of time before Comcast makes private sacrifices to get a better end result.

When Comcast acquired NBC Universal in 2011, the judgment was stopped twice while the FCC reviewed the merger. It took the FCC 234 days to finish their assessment. Both AT&T and Comcast expect their deals to finish in early 2015, meaning they can wait a few months to get things sorted out. 

TagsFCC, Comcast, AT&T, Time Warner Cable, DirecTV, Dish, mergers