According to recent media reports, French telecom Altice Group may bid for Charter Communications, while Sprint -owner Softbank has looked into a bid for Charter, as well. Sprint's merger talks with T-Mobile US, meanwhile, have hit some snags. So Sprint opened the door to strategic talks with cable firms Comcast and Charter. The nation's two biggest cable TV firms could be mulling their own blockbuster merger, unless they hook up with Verizon Communications.