Federal regulators appear poised to derail a planned merger between the nation’s two largest cable providers, Time Warner and Comcast. The Wall Street Journal reports FCC staff have thrown up a significant roadblock to the deal by recommending a procedural move to place it in the hands of an administrative law judge. The cable firms may still have a chance to weigh in before the proceedings advance, but the process is expected to be lengthy and appears to signal the FCC opposes the merger. If it was allowed, the takeover would grant Comcast a virtual monopoly in 19 of the country’s 20 top media markets.