NY PSC Takes Back Approval of Charter-Time Warner Cable Merger

The ongoing feud between the NY Public Service Commission and Charter ratcheted up Friday, with the commission revoking the approval of the 2016 Charter and Time Warner Cable merger.

“Charter is ordered to file within 60 days a plan with the Commission to ensure an orderly transition to a successor provider(s),” the PSC said, announcing it will be filing enforcement action Friday in State Supreme Court in Albany.

A Charter statement suggests this is all about politics and it will fight it.

“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,” the company said.

The two have been at odds over whether Charter has met buildout requirements, including deadlines in its commitment to pass an additional 145K unserved or underserved homes and businesses within four years of closing the deal. The spat centers on which addresses should be counted.