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Charter agrees to $174 million settlement for poor service in New York
The New York attorney general's office has reached a settlement with Charter Communications for providing its customers with insufficient internet services. Under the settlement, Charter and Spectrum Management Holding Company will be required to pay customers $62.5 million in refunds and provide $100 million worth of services for free. Further, the agreement calls for Charter to be more transparent about its services going forward.
FCC’s Ajit Pai labels California net neutrality law 'illegal'
FCC head honcho, Ajit Pai, didn't mince words in comments regarding California's recent passing of a tough net neutrality bill. In his keynote speech for neoconservative policy organization Maine Heritage Policy Center, Pai called California's SB 822 "illegal" and said it "poses a risk to the rest of the country." Pai also hinted that he'd be coming for California should SB 822, seen as the toughest net neutrality law in the nation, receive the governor's signature, as it's expected to in the next two weeks.
Tech CEOs haven’t yet agreed to attend House net neutrality hearing
Last week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee invited CEOs from Facebook, Alphabet, Amazon, Netflix, Comcast, Verizon, AT&T and Charter Communications to testify at an upcoming hearing about net neutrality and potential legislation regarding it. When the invitations were announced, committee chairman Greg Walden said, "With almost everyone in agreement about fundamental principles to prevent anti-competitive behavior such as throttling and blocking, I think we are closer than ever to achieving a lasting resolution. The time has come to get everyone to the table and get this figured out."
Congress invites tech CEOs to testify at net neutrality hearing
Today, during a hearing on FCC oversight, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden announced another hearing entitled "Ground Rules for the Internet Ecosystem." That hearing will discuss potential legislation regarding net neutrality regulations and the committee has invited CEOs of major tech companies and internet providers to testify. Some of the companies include Facebook, Alphabet, Amazon, Netflix, Comcast, Verizon, AT&T and Charter Communications.
Charter will axe the Time Warner Cable brand
As of today, Charter officially owns both Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks... and the newly expanded telecom giant isn't wasting much time making changes. A spokesman tells Bloomberg that Charter will eventually drop both the Bright House and Time Warner Cable names. Yes, that's right: Time Warner Cable, a name that's synonymous with terrible customer support and sub-par service quality, is going away. It's largely a symbolic move, but likely a welcome one -- especially if you're still trying to remember that Time Warner and Time Warner Cable are separate companies.
Charter acquisition of Time Warner Cable approved by the FCC
It feels like forever since Time Warner Cable agreed to merge with Charter Communications, for an estimated $55 billion. But today, nearly a year after the two companies struck a deal, the Federal Communications Commission has finally granted its approval. The announcement follows FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and the US Justice Department green-lighting the merger in April, which confirmed that it was only a matter of time before it became official.
The French are coming... for Time Warner Cable
Ever since Comcast was scared off buying Time Warner Cable, a slew of other firms have been eyeing up the business for a purchase. The latest to throw a beret into the ring is French telecoms firm Altice (us neither), which Reuters and the Wall Street Journal claim has eyes on America's No. 2. The outfit is already attempting to make it big here after announcing that it's purchasing Suddenlink, a regional cable company operating in a handful of states, including West Virginia, Texas and Louisiana, at a cost of $9.1 billion.
Bright House Networks and Charter deal looking less likely
According to Reuters Bright House Networks may look to kill its impeding merger with Charter Communications. After pressure from regulators put an end to Comcast's effort to purchase Time Warner Cable, rumors started circulating that Charter wanted to resurrect its bid for the beleaguered company. Comcast backing out of the TWC deal triggered a clause in the Bright House / Charter agreement that would allow the two to renegotiate the terms of their merger. The 30 day window for the renewed contract talks ends in roughly two weeks, and sources have suggested that Bright House may want to put the kibosh on the acquisition. According to the Reuters report, Bright House appears to have decided that its in the company's best interest to remain independent. Part of that decision is likely fueled by an existing agreement with Time Warner, where the larger provider negotiates programing rates for Bright House and shares its technology with it. A merger with Charter would kill the existing arrangement and weaken its negotiating position.
With Comcast out, Charter eyes Time Warner Cable merger again
Comcast is out, but that doesn't mean Time Warner Cable is off the market. Charter, which already cast a losing bid for the provider in 2014, is considering trying to acquire TWC again, according to the Washington Post. Charter's continued interest isn't much of a surprise. In February CEO Tom Rutledge said that if the Comcast deal fell through, he might make another offer. Being the fourth largest cable TV provider, it might not be subject to the same level of regulatory scrutiny as Comcast, which is the nation's largest. But, Charter already began moving on a consolation prize last month in Bright House Networks. So getting approval to swallow up the second largest pay-TV provider in the country won't be easy if it does decide to carry through with a bid. There's also no guarantee that Time Warner Cable will accept a bid from Charter, which had its original offer of roughly $130 per share rebuffed in 2013.
Charter buys a cable company to make up for losing Time Warner
Charter lost out on its chance to snatch Time Warner Cable before Comcast made its move, so it's settling for the next best thing. The company just unveiled plans to acquire Bright House Networks, a cable provider that's mostly big in Florida, for about $10.4 billion. Reportedly, the move is about getting "strategic flexibility" and solidifying Charter's position as the second-largest cable company in the US. In other words, it wants to both improve its clout in relation to Comcast (even if the two don't have competing networks) and streamline its costs. That last part is important in an era where services like Netflix are diminishing the importance of conventional TV. If Charter can't have TWC, it can at least prepare for a future where it can't depend on expensive programming bundles to turn a profit. [Image credit: AP Photo/Matt Rourke]
Charter Cable boosts downloads to 100Mbps, keeps uploads limited to a modest 5Mbps
Good news Charter customers, you're getting a speed bump! The DOCSIS 3.0-based cable service is boosting both download and upload speeds across all tiers of its service -- starting at the bottom with its Express package, which will be a 15 Mbps down and 3 Mbps up offering from now on. The "flagship" Plus level is getting its rates almost doubled from 18 Mbps down and 2 Mbps up to 30 Mbps down and 4 Mbps up, offering you plenty of bandwidth for streaming, torrenting and browsing all at the same time. The fastest connection is getting not just a new speed (100 Mbps down), but a new name -- Ultra 100. Sadly, your $60 a month for the big bits doesn't get you particularly blazing upload speeds. Charter's tops out at a pretty modest 5 Mbps up. Check out the PR after the break for a few more details.
Shocker! WiLAN drums up another lawsuit, this time against big cable
As the saying goes, every time an iPhone is dropped, another wide sweeping patent lawsuit in the tech world sprouts up in the plaintiff-friendly US District courts of east Texas. Okay, so perhaps there's no factual basis for that, but who knows if the latest case filed by suit-happy Canadian wireless company WiLAN against Comcast, Time Warner, and Charter Communications is any more legitimate. The dispute is over US patent No. 5,661,602, which is one of the company's 970 issued or pending patents, and was awarded in 1998. It covers "hybrid multichannel data transmission systems utilizing a broadcast medium" -- a.k.a. the broadcasting of data to remote networks and computers. WiLAN has tapped their ole' favorite US law firm, McKool Smith for the case, and asserts that the big cable triumvirate is in violation of the patent, though a spokesperson for Comcast did note they had not been served with a complaint just yet. Sadly (or not-so-sadly, depending on perspective) we can't take part in the gavel swinging, but considering that WiLAN filed suit against Alcatel-Lucent, Sony Ericsson and LG last month, and sued Acer, Apple, Dell, HP, and Lenovo in April, there's plenty of evidence that this outfit's lawyers are the hardest working employees on the payroll.
Big cable loses 500,000 subscribers in Q3, we neglect to send flowers
Last quarter was the first time ever that US pay TV subscription rates were down. Now, according to GigaOM's calculations, big cable suffered another set back in Q3, waving goodbye to over 500,000 subscribers in total. Comcast was saddled with over half of the carnage and lost 275,000 customers, while Time Warner took a 155,000 subscriber hit. Charter Communications and Cablevision fared slightly better, but still added 63,800 and 24,500 respectively to the industry pit of despair. Naturally, the blame game for the poor numbers was aimed squarely at the weak economy and increased competition from over-the-top video providers. Before you call the undertaker away from his wrestling day job, though, remember that cable's traditional backstop is to raise prices for remaining customers -- vicious cycle, anyone? In fact, Comcast shared on its Q3 earnings call that average customer revenue rose by ten percent year over year to $136 a month. Charter's similarly jumped by nine percent to $126, and while Cablevision's didn't increase by the same rate, monthly revenue per customer still amounted to a whopping $149 a month. So whether the reason is cord cutting or simply hard times, it's hard to get worked up over self-inflicted wounds.
EPIX HD adds online streaming, sign up via Charter.net
Say hello to a new wrinkle in EPIX HD's online/VOD/linear channel offering, now that its online library is accessible for Charter subscribers through the Charter.net website. Subscribers can sign up for the channel and stream content online in HD, all on one page with their existing Charter login. Not sure about trying it out yet? It appears all Charter60 internet subscribers have free access to the online streams through December 31, so why not click over and check a flick (or two) out.
Court sides with Charter, takes DirecTV ads pointing out bankruptcy off the air
It seems DirecTV has gone out of its way to let Charter customers know about the cable company's bankruptcy proceedings, airing ads that said there was no way it could continue to provide more HD channels and that customers needed to be saved from its bankruptcy. Apparently the U.S. District Court in St. Louis agreed the ads went too far in implying the company might be liquidating or about to stop offering service, issuing a temporary restraining order barring the ads. This is far from the first time the law has had to jump in on one side or another of TV providers ads, we're just wondering when they'll jump in on ads touting "choices," highlighting broadband speed without mentioning bandwidth caps and pushing HD channels without copping to known overcompression issues.
Charter Communications files for prearranged Chapter 11 bankruptcy
We knew the flagging Charter Communications was looking to file for Chapter 11 on or before April 1st, and rather than waiting until Wednesday and fielding questions of whether or not the whole thing was "a joke," said carrier has gone ahead and made things official here in March. This past Friday, the fourth largest cable company filed for its prearranged Chapter 11 bankruptcy in order to stave off hungry creditors and look for ways to keep afloat. The good news is that it's hoping to emerge from bankruptcy as early as this summer, and at least currently, it's not planning to sell any of its assets to competitors. Of note, Charter has failed to post a single profit since going public in 1999, so one shouldn't be shocked at the $8 billion debt figure that the filing will restructure. Good luck out there Charter, you're going to need it.
Charter Communications to file for bankruptcy
Okay, so we hate to be blunt, but if there was one cable carrier out there just waiting to crash, it was Charter. The company famous for engaging in less-than-forthright contest practices and perpetually finding ways to perturb subscribers has just announced that a Chapter 11 filing isn't too far away. In fact, a recent press release makes clear that it "intends to implement its financial restructuring through a Chapter 11 filing to be initiated on or before April 1, 2009." As per the agreement, all debt holders will reportedly be paid in full, with Paul Allen keeping the largest voting interest in the company. Of course, shareholders' stake in the company will be canceled, but the decision will supposedly reduce debt by around $8 billion. As expected, the company has assured subscribers that its services will continue to operate throughout the debt restructuring process, but we wouldn't expect service to get any better in the coming months.[Via AP, thanks Vanbrothers]
Charter launching 60Mbps broadband, asks "FiOS what?"
Still waiting for Verizon's FiOS to come and light up your neighborhood with blistering download speeds? Now you have something even faster to wait for, with Charter Communications announcing it is launching a 60Mbps broadband service, utilizing DOCSIS 3.0 to fit more bits in the same pipes -- not quite the 160Mbps Comcast predicted, but we'll take it. What the company isn't announcing is when people will be able to tap into this or how much they'll pay for the privilege, but hopefully it'll be a little less than the $140 Verizon is charging.Update: We found word of prices and, go figure, the service costs exactly the same as FiOS: $140 per month. But, you can save $10 if you bundle it with TV or phone service.
Most Belo-owned stations finally permitted for transmission on Charter
It's been a long, long time since Belo-owned stations were transmitted on Charter systems (what, two years or something now?), but the two are finally burying the hatchet before 2009... or partially burying it, anyway. According to Belo, 11 of its 15 markets can finally see Belo-owned locals in SD and HD on Charter, including KMOV-TV in St. Louis, WFAA in Dallas / Fort Worth, WCNC-TV in Charlotte and KONG-TV in Seattle / Tacoma. Few details about the actual agreement were made public, but we're just stoked that the two have finally made amends.[Thanks, Shane]
Charter brings four new HD channels to St. Louis, Missouri
Charter Communications isn't abstaining from expanding HD channels as the holiday season approaches, as it has announced that four new high-def stations have launched alongside four digital SD nets in St. Louis, Missouri. Available now are Food Network HD (760), HGTV HD (761), National Geographic HD (768), Golf HD (772), Hallmark Movie Channel (122), ReelzChannel (145), American Life TV (146) and The Sportsman Channel (772). According to Steve Trippe, Vice President and General Manager of Charter's St. Louis operations, the carrier now provides "more than 400 HD choices that are instantly available at any time," which definitely does not translate into a remarkable amount of linear HD channels. Still, nice to have a few new ones, right STL?
