ALBANY – Public Service Commission Chairman John Rhodes proposed that the state agency take stronger enforcement actions against Charter Communications, parent company of Spectrum cable TV.
Spectrum provides cable TV services to Sullivan County, much of Orange County as well as portions of Ulster and Dutchess counties.
Rhodes said on Friday Charter has continually failed to meet its commitments to the state, including its obligation to timely extend its high-speed broadband network to 145,000 unserved and underserved homes and businesses. He said Charter has also continued to make the false claim in advertisements and other public statements that it is exceeding its obligations to the state, despite the commission previously directed the company to cease its misleading campaign and has referred the matter to the state attorney general’s office.
Rhodes said Charter’s claims are “false and the commission will not stand idly by while Charter deceives the public and its shareholders.” He said Charter’s own data shows “a gaping hole between its commitments and its performance. New York will not tolerate Charter’s gas lighting its own customers into believing it is meeting the promises.”
Rhodes said a number of enforcement actions against Spectrum are being
prepared including additional penalties, injunctive relief, and additional
sanctions or revocation of Spectrum’s ability to operate in the
state.
“The fact is that Spectrum has built out our broadband network to
more than 61,000 unserved or underserved homes since the merger,”
said Andrew Russell, director of Communications, Northeast, for Charter.
“We find it baffling that the PSC thinks that some New Yorkers count
and others don’t, given their belief that access to broadband is
essential for economic development and social equity.”
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