Regulators OK Charter Communications’ purchase of Time Warner Cable’s New York subsidiaries

NY regulators today approved Charter Communications’ acquisition of Time Warner Cable.

As a condition of the approval, Charter has agreed to build out Internet services throughout NY and to support download speeds in the state of at least 60 Mbps.

A Time Warner Cable spokesman said it recently was notified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that some customers’ email addresses including account passwords “may have been compromised”.

“I’m hopeful with all of these conditions, we really are going to be in a position that in the next several years we’re going to see all New Yorkers have access to well-priced, high-speed, modern Internet services”, said Audrey Zibelman, chair of the Public Service Commission. In December, toymaker Vtech became the victim of a data breach that impacted approximately 11.6 million customers, including 6.4 million children.

“This is a significant step forward, not only for Charter but also for our future customers, and we are very happy to have obtained this approval from the New York State PSC”, said Tom Rutledge, president and CEO of Charter, in a statement. All told, PSC officials estimate that 700,000 customers across the state should qualify for the service.

Time Warner already offers Internet speeds of 300 mbps in the tri-state area, but not in the rest of the state. Time Warner Cable offers that speed in New York City, but not Upstate.

Company officials are reaching out to potentially affected customers.