NYS Hits Spectrum Cable with $2 Million Fine

Regulators in Albany have ordered the owners of Spectrum Cable to pay millions of dollars in penalties for not expanding its system in New York.

The state Public Service Commission Thursday fined Spectrum owner Charter Communications $2 million for not meeting its obligations to offer more services on schedule.

Commission chairman John Rhodes said an investigation determined the company did not expand the reach of its Spectrum network as required.

Spectrum provides high-speed broadband, cable television and telephone services to millions of homes and business across the state.

The New York agency gave conditional approval of Charter's acquisition of Time Warner Cable two years ago.

Rhodes said the state is now demanding "the company unconditionally accept all of the conditions" or face "more severe consequences."

The commission said if Charter doesn't act appropriately, it faces the "risk of having the merger revoked."

The fine is not related to the four-month absence of TV channels on Spectrum cable systems in Binghamton and Syracuse because of a contractual dispute between Charter and Northwest Broadcasting.

The channels returned to Spectrum last week after the companies reached a new agreement.