More cable news from across the Web:
> The Office of Ratepayer Advocates, an independent consumer watchdog, has asked the California Public Utilities Commission to reject Charter's acquisition of Time Warner Cable. Bloomberg story
> Ralph Baruch, founder and former chairman and CEO of Viacom International, has died at the age of 92. Multichannel News story
> Ericsson has hired video technology executive as VP and CTO of TV and Media. Multichannel News story
> Samsung is set to shutter its Milk Music streaming service as part of a revamp of its music streaming strategy. Variety story
> Windstream has high hopes that upgrading its last mile network with VDSL2 and fiber will help turn around its broadband subscribership, but in the near-term the telco continues to battle ongoing subscriber losses. Article
> The U.S. Commerce Department will place export restrictions on ZTE this week, according to a Reuters report, for allegedly violating U.S. export controls on Iran. The restrictions, which will take effect tomorrow, will require the Chinese manufacturer's suppliers to apply for an export license before shipping any U.S.-made equipment or parts to ZTE. Article
> Japan's SoftBank said it would separate its domestic wireless business from its majority stake in Sprint and other overseas businesses. Article
And finally… Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders offended Romanian officials by referencing the country's Akamai broadband speed ranking. DSL Reports story