The (pending) merger of Comcast and Time Warner does not change any areas from a choice of Comcast or Time Warner to no choice, because there are no areas where the two cable providers cover the same addresses.
Lack of competition and transparency in the last mile is the essential problem, but the Comcast/Time Warner merger doesn't really change the status quo there (unless someone makes a significant change a condition of the merger). The blueprint of a solution is the pre-2005 regulation of DSL by ILECs: make cable providers (or at least comcast), ILECs, and anyone else with a natural monopoly offer line-sharing on reasonable terms, and watch ISPs spring up (or re-emerge) with competitive offers and better routing than the incumbents. Bonus points if wholesale pricing is required to be at least as low as retail pricing, unlike in the DSL times.
