The New York Public Service Commission has delayed its vote on the Comcast/Time Warner Cable merger from October 2 to November 13.

The delay comes as the commission reviews recommendations from the state Division of Consumer Protection's Utility Intervention Unit (UIU). In a filing on August 25 (download link), the UIU described "deficiencies associated with the Companies’ current substandard customer service" and said the merger should not be approved unless certain conditions are imposed. The UIU also said there are "deficiencies" in the companies' petition with the state, "specifically, in the areas of improving the Companies’ service to its New York customers, making universal broadband more affordable, increasing broadband speed, and investing in infrastructure, including ways to remedy those deficiencies."

Conditions proposed to remedy the problems include expanding eligibility for Comcast's low-cost Internet service for poor people, preservation of Time Warner Cable's $14.99-per-month standalone broadband service for all customers regardless of income status, expansion of broadband in rural areas, implementation of a service quality measure, preservation of customer service jobs in New York, and "the creation of two additional voting seats on the Board of Directors of the merged company to represent New York consumer interests."

There was also a Department of Public Service Staff review (download link) on August 8 that demanded conditions while outlining potential problems for consumers. "The poor customer satisfaction performance of both Comcast and Time Warner is a serious concern," the filing states. "This concern is heightened by the fact that the combined company may have less focus on New York and may become distracted during the transition that will inevitably follow the close of the merger. As a condition of the Commission’s approval of the proposed transaction, the combined company should be required to achieve improvements in service performance."

Comcast and Time Warner Cable agreed on Friday to the commission's new schedule with the vote delayed until next month. A DPS spokesperson pointed to the merger garnering nearly 3,000 public comments, saying the delay is warranted "given the depth and breadth of the public record and the importance of the issues presented."

While the merger is being examined at the national level by the Federal Communications Commission and Justice Department, states where Time Warner Cable licenses would be transferred to Comcast also get to weigh in. Theoretically, state regulators could deny the companies' applications or set conditions so strict that they give up on merging. California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is also reviewing the merger.

“Technically any state could deny a merger, although I’ve never seen that happen,” Lindsay Brown, an attorney for CPUC's Office of Ratepayer Advocates, told Bloomberg last month. “But conditions can certainly be imposed and have been imposed in the past. And that’s what may happen here.”