ASHINGTON - A U.S. appeals court threw out on Friday a regulation that has limited cable companies to serving up to 30 percent of the market, a big victory for operators like Comcast Corp (CMCSA.O).

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that the Federal Communications Commission's rule was arbitrary and capricious and vacated the rule. (Reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)