Charter grapples with N.Y. controversies

Tenuous merger with Time Warner adds to Stamford company’s problems

In 2016, Charter Communications clinched New York state regulators’ approval of its $55 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable. The endorsement was hardly unconditional.

The New York Public Service Commission’s decision late last month to revoke its approval of the merger based on Charter’s alleged violations of the agreement’s terms highlights the Stamford-based firm’s fraught position in New York, where it also faces a major lawsuit and labor strike. Charter officials have rejected the criticism as the company continues to serve some 2 million customers in the state, but some observers think the telecommunications giant should adopt a more conciliatory stance.

“It seems to me that Charter’s reputation is at stake and, unfortunately, the company executives don’t seem as concerned as I would expect,” said Debbie Danowski, an associate professor of communications and media arts at Sacred Heart University.

Charter officials did not make any executives available for an interview for this article.

Regulatory pressure

The commission based its January 2016 approval of Charter’s acquisition of TWC on conditions including the delivery of broadband speed upgrades to 100 megabits-per-second statewide by the end of this year and 300 MBPS by the end of 2019. The commission also mandated that Charter expand its network to cover an additional 145,000 unserved or under-served homes

John Carl D’Annibale / Albany Times Union A Spectrum truck in the parking lot of Spectrum offices on Highbridge Road recently in Schenectady, N.Y. Spectrum represents the brand of cable, internet and phone services provided by Stamford-based Charter Communications.

Michael Cummo / Hearst Connecticut Media Charter Communications is headquartered at 400 Atlantic St., in downtown Stamford.