New York State is taking tough action against Charter Communications, the parent company for Spectrum cable and internet services.
On Friday, the New York State Public Service Commission revoked its approval of the 2016 merger agreement between Charter and Time Warner Cable. The PSC contends that Charter failed to deliver the benefits to state residents that were part of the merger approval.
The PSC listed several issues:
- The company’s repeated failures to meet deadlines;
- Charter’s attempts to skirt obligations to serve rural communities;
- Unsafe practices in the field;
- Its failure to fully commit to its obligations under the 2016 merger agreement; and
- The company’s purposeful obfuscation of its performance and compliance obligations to the Commission and its customers.
“Charter's repeated failures to serve New Yorkers and honor its commitments are well documented and are only getting worse. After more than a year of administrative enforcement efforts to bring Charter into compliance with the Commission’s merger order, the time has come for stronger actions to protect New Yorkers and the public interest,” said Commission Chair John Rhodes. “Charter’s non-compliance and brazenly disrespectful behavior toward New York State and its customers necessitates the actions taken today seeking court-ordered penalties for its failures, and revoking the Charter merger approval.”
The PSC gave Charter 60 days to file a plan to ensure an orderly transition to a new provider.
Charter Communications responded with this statement:
In the weeks leading up to an election, rhetoric often becomes politically charged. But the fact is that Spectrum has extended the reach of our advanced broadband network to more than 86,000 New York homes and businesses since our merger agreement with the PSC. Our 11,000 diverse and locally based workers, who serve millions of customers in the state every day, remain focused on delivering faster and better broadband to more New Yorkers, as we promised.
Copyright 2018 WXXI News
