REVOKE
REVOKE ITS APPROVAL FOR CHARTER- SPECTRUM'S MERGER
WITH TIME WARNER
CABLE.
BUT WHAT'S STILL
BEING HASHED OUT... IS
JUST HOW CHARTER
WILL EXIT THE STATE,
AFTER THE P-S-C
CLAIMED THE COMPANY
FAILED IN ITS PROMISE
TO IMPROVE SERVICE
AS PART OF THAT 2016
MERGER.
AS WE HEAR FROM
DAVE MCKINLEY,
CHARTER HAS DENIED
THAT CLAIM...AND THE
PSC'S ACTION NOW
FACES DELAYS.
FACES DELAYS.
WE
WE WANTED
WE WANTED TO SPEAK WITH PSC CHAIR JOHN RHODES FOR THIS
STORY, BUT A
SPOKESPERSON FOR
THE AGENCY SAID
NEITHER HE NOR ANY
OF THE PSC BOARD
MEMBERS WOULD TALK
TO US.
IN AN E-MAIL HE SAID
THEY WOULD "DECLINE
THE INTERVIEW
REQUEST DUE TO
ONGOING LITIGATION
AND SETTLEMENT
DISCUSSIONS"
STRANGELY, PERHAPS,
THAT DIDN'T STOP PSC
BOARD MEMBERS
INCLUDING RHODES
FROM SPEAKING
PUBLICLY, AND AT
LENGTH, ABOUT
CHARTER- SPECTRUM
AT ITS MOST RECENT
MEETING.
"CHARTER OWES NEW
YORK ... "
THEY WENT ON FOR 45
MINUTES, IN FACT,
BEFORE VOTING TO
GRANT CHARTER-
SPECTRUM YET
ANOTHER EXTENSION
OF THE PSC'S DEADLINE
FOR THE COMPANY TO
EITHER COME UP WITH
AN EXIT PLAN, OR TO
FILE FOR A "RE-
HEARING" OF THE PSC
ORDER IN JULY,
ESSENTIALLY KICKING
THEM OUT OF NEW
YORK.
RHODES VOTED IN
FAVOR, AFTER A PSC
LAWYER CLAIMED
THERE WERE
PRODUCTIVE TALKS
BETWEEN PSC AND
CHARTER-SPECTRUM'S
LAWYERS BEHIND THE
SCENES.
"I FIND THAT THIS IS A
STEP THAT MAKES
SENSE ... "
"...AND IF THIS STEP AND
PROCESS IS WHAT IT
TAKES FOR THEM TO
DELIVER THEN THAT'S
GOING TO BE A GOOD
OUTCOME "
TWO OTHER
COMMISSIONERS
AGREED.
COMMISSIONERS AGREED. ONE DID NOT.
" THIS IS A BROKEN
PROCESS AND THE WAY
IT WAS DONE IS BROKEN
AND CONTINUES TO BE
DONE IS BROKEN "
PSC BOARD MEMBER
DIANE BURMAN NOTED,
THIS IS THE "THIRD
TIME" AN EXTENSION
HAS BEEN GRANTED
"THAT IS DEEPLY
TROUBLING TO ME "
"ARE YOU WATCHING
THIS WITH ANY
INTEREST? YOU KNOW
WE'VE BEEN WATCHING
THIS FROM DAY ONE "
BUFFALO'S COMMON
COUNCIL PRESIDENT
SAYS CITY LAWMAKERS
HAVE WRITTEN TO THE
PSC SUPPORTING ITS
HARD LINE STANCE
AGAINST CHARTER
SPECTRUM
"WE'VE BEEN
DISAPPOINTED ON
SEVERAL THINGS, ONE
IS THIS RATE INCREASE.
RIGHT NOW PEOPLE
HAVE ALMOST NO
CHOICE "
BUT THE PSC ISN'T
LOWERING THE BOOM
ON CHARTER
SPECTRUM BECAUSE
OF RATE INCREASES.
IT'S CLAIMING THE
COMPANY FAILED IN AN
OBLIGATION TO BUILD
OUT HIGH SPEED
INTERNET IN UNDER
SERVED, SPARSELY
POPULATED, OFTEN
RURAL AREAS. NONE OF
WHICH, PRIDGEN
SERVES.
"IT'S STILL A COMPANY
AND BUILDING TRUST
WITH A COMPANY THAT
HAS SUCH A
STRONGHOLD ON AN
AREA WHETHER IT'S THE
RURAL.IF YOUR NOT
RESPONDING THE STATE
AND YOUR NOT
RESPONDING TO THE
CITY'S NEEDS THERE'S A
CONCERN..."
"SO AT THE END OF THE
DAY THIS IS A HUG DEAL
EVEN FOR THE CITY "
MEANTIME, CHARTER
CONTINUES TO
PROVIDE CABLE
TELEVISION,
BROADBAND AND
TELEPHONE SERVICE
TO MORE THAN 2
MILLION SUBSCRIBERS
IN MORE THAN 1,150
COMMUNITIES IN NEW
YORK, AND MUST
CONTINUE TO DO SO
WITHOUT
INTERRUPTION UNDER
THE JULY ORDER,
WHICH ALSO FORCES IT
TO --IN A NUTSHELL--
COME UP WITH A PLAN
FOR ITS OWN
REPLACEMENT., TO
THEORETICALLY
ENSURE A SMOOTH
TRANSITION TO A
REPLACEMENT
PROVIDER.
REPLACEMENT PROVIDER. AS FOR WHO WOULD
TAKE OVER ITS
NETWORK IF CHARTER
IS EVENTUALLY FORCED
TO LEAVE...THAT
REMAINS A QUESTION
FOR WHICH THERE ARE
NO ANSWERS, AND MAY
TAKE SOME TIME TO
GET SOME.
GOVERNOR CUOMO
HAS STATED HIS BELIEF
THAT LOTS OF
COMPANIES WOULD BE
INTERESTED IN
REPLACING
CHARTER...DUE TO THE
VALUE OF THE
FRANCHISE
AGREEMENT.
FRANCHISE AGREEMENT. BUT IF CHARTER COULD
NOT- OR WOULD NOT ,
AS ALLEGED- EXPEND
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
TO SERVE JUST A
HANDFUL OF
CUSTOMERS IN A
TIMELY FASHION AS
DICTATED BY THE PSC,
THE QUESTION
REMAINS WHICH- IF ANY
COMPANY WOULD?
THE "PUBLIC" SERVICE
COMMISSION ISN'T
ANSWERING SUCH
QUESTIONS FROM THE
PUBLIC, ONLY POINTING
US BACK TO THE
ORIGINAL
ORDER....WHICH NOW
AGAIN HAS BEEN
DELAYED IN ITS
IMPLEMENTATION
...MUCH TO THE
CONSTERNATION OF
ONE OF ITS BOARD
MEMBERS.
"WHETHER WE LEAD TO
PRODUCTIVE
SETTLEMENT
PRODUCTIVE SETTLEMENT DISCUSSIONS THAT END
IN RESOLUTION, OR WE
LEAD TO A PETITION FOR
A RE-HEARING BECAUSE
WEE WEREN'T ABLE TO
RESOLVE IT, WE
ACTUALLY STOPPED THE
CLOCK AND SO WE'RE
THAT MUCH FURTHER
AWAY FROM DECIDING
HOW WE'RE HANDLING
THINGS AND I JUST
DON'T GET THAT. "
SO
SO HOW
SO HOW THIS WILL ALL SHAKE OUT REMAINS UNCLEAR...AND COULD
BE CLOUDED FURTHER
IF IT ENDS UP IN
COURT, WHERE IT
COULD TAKE YEARS TO
RESOLVE.
MEANWHILE, WHEN YOU
LOOK FOR THIS STORY
ON OUR WEB SITE,
THERE'S A LINK WHICH
ALLOWS YOU TO VIEW
DOCUMENTS FILED IN
THIS DISPUTE, AND..
WHERE YOU CAN READ
COMMENTS FILED BY
CUSTOMERS, ...AND
EVEN FILE ONE
YOURSELF. LOOK FOR
IT ON WGRZ.COM. DMCK
CH 2 NEWS.