Charter Communications told the New York Public Utilities Commission (PUC) last week that it is ahead of schedule on a series of state broadband infrastructure improvements promised amid regulatory approval of its Time Warner Cable purchase two years ago.
According to the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, Charter told the PUC that it has added service to 42,889 buildings in the state as of the end of 2017, surpassing its goal of 36,771.
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To get the TWC deal approved, Charter agreed to increase average broadband speeds to 100 Mbps across New York State by 2018 and 300 Mbps by 2019. Charter also promised to extend broadband service to 145,000 additional residents and businesses by 2020.
In December, Charter announced deployment of next-generation DOCSIS 3.1 internet services in New York and six other markets. The company said at the time that it was providing a minimum download speed of 100 Mbps for 99% of its customers in New York.
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In June, the PUC ordered Charter to set aside $13 million to propel the broadband improvements, ruling that the cable company had fallen off pace with the project.
"Our multiyear buildout is a massive undertaking, one that will ultimately involve construction of thousands of miles of network infrastructure—all funded completely by Charter, with no taxpayer subsidies or customer contributions,” said Charter spokesman Rich Ruggerio in a statement provided to the Democrat & Chronicle.
"This effort involves significant coordination with the New York state Department of Public Service, local municipalities, utility pole owners and contractors, to enable us to connect the Spectrum network to hundreds of thousands of utility poles across the state, along with locating other network assets underground, including fiber-optic cable,” Ruggiero added.