As college football season kicks off and 18 percent of Central New York Charter Customers left without ACC Network, Brindisi calls a penalty on Charter Communications
Congressman Anthony Brindisi (NY-22) called for an investigation into whether a rate increase on legacy Time Warner Cable customers by Charter Communications (Spectrum) violated the terms of their 2016 merger.
Following news reports of a proposed rate increase, Brindisi demanded answers from Spectrum and wrote a letter to the New York Public Service Commission calling for an investigation. Brindisi, a longtime consumer advocate, chastised Spectrum for not living up to their promises and raising rates on customers.
“All Central New Yorkers want to do is see Orange, but as usual, the only color Spectrum sees is green,”Brindisi said. “It’s another example of Spectrum fleecing the customers of Upstate New York and trying to squeeze every penny out of them. I urge the PSC to reexamine the terms of the January 2016 merger agreement and investigate whether Charter’s price increase violates the agreement.”
In the state Assembly, Brindisi led the fight against Spectrum after hearing from thousands of constituents unhappy about frequent rate hikes and poor customer service. Now, Brindisi is holding Spectrum accountable at the federal level. Earlier this year, Brindisi called on the Federal Communications Commission to examine if Spectrum is living up to the terms of their merger with Time Warner.
Brindisi’s first bill, the Transparency for Cable Consumers Act, would provide better oversight of cable and internet providers and hold companies accountable that are fined by a state Public Service Commission. Under the Transparency for Cable Consumers Act, if a cable or internet company is fined by a state Public Service Commission, it would be required to report:
- The number of cable and broadband internet customers in each county;
- The average cable bill and broadband internet bill amounts in each county;
- A full accounting of all fees charged customers in each county; and
- The average broadband internet speeds delivered in each county.