Brussels, 17/06/2004 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has decided to give its approval to acquisition of joint control over the German broadband cable operator PrimaCom AG by investment companies Apollo Europe V and JP Morgan Chase & Co. The proposed deal provides for the two companies to buy up the assets and operational subsidiaries of PrimaCom in exchange for the elimination of debt and a cash payment. In Leipzig, PrimaCom owns a modern cable "head-end" (infrastructure that receives broadcasting signals from other cable operators and distributes them to the end customer via in-house cable networks. It also offers broadband internet access via TV cable). It operates broadband cable networks primarily in Berlin and other regions in Eastern Germany, as well as Western Germany and the Netherlands. After its inquiry, the Commission noted that the impact of the operation would be limited to the Land of Hessen where PrimaCom and "iesy", an Apollo subsidiary, are located. There will be minimum overlapping of activities and this will not affect competition. In the other regions of Germany, the operation will even improve the competitive situation, allowing PrimaCom to regain financial viability and, from this, to compete more effectively against the incumbent regional cable operators (on the TV cable markets) and against Deutsche Telekom (on the market for broadband internet access).