Despite Comcast abandoning its Time Warner Cable (TWC) purchase in the face of government opposition, mergers of Internet and TV providers are still on the table.

AT&T's proposed $48.5 billion acquisition of DirecTV is likely to win approval from the Federal Communications Commission, The Wall Street Journal reported. And TWC could still be acquired, but by Charter Communications instead of Comcast.

The FCC hasn't publicly revealed its position on AT&T's attempt to buy the satellite TV provider. But despite opposing Comcast/TWC, the commission "sees the AT&T deal as helping competition and aiding the spread of broadband into rural areas that lack service, people familiar with the matter said," according to the Journal report. FCC officials haven't yet finalized concessions that AT&T would make in exchange for approval, "but the commission’s staff is inclined to recommend the approval of the deal."

Merger conditions could include expanding high-speed broadband access in rural areas, price guarantees for broadband-only customers, and commitments to treat online video providers fairly.

The Department of Justice is reviewing the merger too and "has yet to raise any significant issues, people familiar with the matter said."

In its earnings announcement last week, AT&T said it expects to get final approval of the DirecTV merger by the end of June.

Meanwhile, the Journal also reported that Charter "is laying the groundwork for a potential bid" to buy TWC. When contacted by Ars, Charter said it could provide "no confirmation" of a possible bid.

Together, Charter and Time Warner Cable would have 17.3 million Internet subscribers, compared to Comcast's 22 million.

This wouldn't be Charter's first attempt to buy TWC. Charter tried to buy the company in early 2014, but TWC rejected the offer. Comcast subsequently struck its deal to buy TWC, which included a side agreement that would have given to Charter systems serving another 1.4 million customers. The death of the Comcast/TWC merger ended that plan. Charter's plan to buy cable operator Bright House Networks was also contingent on the approval of Comcast/TWC.