Altice finally ends 2-month blackout with Connecticut’s WFSB-3

Altice USA announced that Meredith Corp. CBS affiliate WFSB-3 has been restored to its Optimum subscribers in Connecticut after a blackout that lasted since Jan. 13

“We are pleased that WFSB CBS Channel 3 has returned its programming to our Optimum customers in Connecticut, and we sincerely thank our customers for their patience and loyalty as we worked to reach to a fair agreement that reflects our commitment to keeping costs down for consumers,” Altice said in a statement. 

Altice USA noted that it has reached retransmission deals and carriage agreements with more than a dozen programmers and broadcasters over the last few months,” the cable operator added. “Skyrocketing programming costs, particularly those charged by broadcasters, are the greatest contributor to rising cable bills. With broadcasters having content available for free over the internet, and over the air via an antenna, the company is working to keep retransmission costs down for our customers."

Terms of the agreement weren’t announced. 

RELATED: Altice’s 2-month-old WFSB blackout gets more government intervention

The agreement came just days after state Sen. Gayle Slossberg, D-Milford, began spearheading a petition to have the FCC intervene in the impasse between Altice and station owner Meredith Corp.

“It’s time to end this; it’s incredibly unfair,” Slossberg told the New Haven Register. “What we have are two corporate giants arguing over pennies and the ones who get the squeezed are honest hard working people. For months now, people in Milford, Orange and Woodbridge have been paying a full rate for diminished cable service.”

Klarn DePalma, VP and general manager of WFSB, said in a statement that station officials “are glad to have worked this out with Altice/Optimum so that their customers can now enjoy the NCAA tournament, the Masters and other marquee CBS and local programming.”

“We have worked hard to restore WFSB to all of their customers in Connecticut,” DePalma said.