Attorney General Tong and Consumer Counsel Coleman Secure Consumer Protection Commitments in Proposed Charter/Cox Merger Settlement

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01/28/2026

Attorney General Tong and Consumer Counsel Coleman Secure Consumer Protection Commitments in Proposed Charter/Cox Merger Settlement

(Hartford, CT) - Today, Attorney General Tong and Consumer Counsel Coleman announced the filing of a comprehensive settlement that secures major consumer protections as Charter Communications seeks to move forward with acquiring Cox Communications and its Connecticut operations. The agreement, now before the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) for approval, delivers more transparent pricing, stronger service reliability and outage reporting, resolves key customer protection issues, and provides for a $3 million investment in digital access and literacy in Charter's expanded service territory, with a focus on distressed municipalities.

Charter and Cox both provide cable, wireline and wireless voice, and internet services through Connecticut. Charter has sought approval from the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to acquire Cox. The settlement requires PURA approval.

Cox provides cable TV, voice, and broadband internet service to 19 towns. Charter provides cable TV, voice and broadband internet to 37 municipalities under the Spectrum brand. Together, the companies serve 56 municipalities throughout the state.

"This would be a significant merger of two major cable service providers, leaving parts of Connecticut with only a single choice of companies for cable TV and broadband internet. This proposed settlement requires a series of commitments regarding services, costs and local preserve to ensure that Connecticut consumers and communities remain a priority," said Attorney General Tong.

"The negotiated agreement reflects OCC's rigorous scrutiny of how this transaction will affect consumers and demonstrates what a meaningful public interest review of this magnitude can achieve. We're proposing detailed, enforceable commitments on pricing transparency, service reliability, and a significant investment to help close the digital divide in Connecticut through digital access and literacy programs," said Consumer Counsel Coleman.

The settlement requires a $3 million investment in digital access and literacy programs in the merged companies' service territories along with commitments to maintain its corporate office in Stamford, Connecticut, and a sufficient in-state workforce for at least five years after the close of the transaction. Connecticut customers will also see savings as the agreement prevents costs related to the approval of the transaction from being passed on to customers. If approved, the agreement will improve billing transparency and limit certain fees related to equipment changes and changes to cable service packages.

Service reliability and outage protections are also strengthened under the proposed agreement, through battery-backup options for wireline phone customers, annual notice requirements for backup power, and outage credits required under Connecticut law. Charter must also report annually on network upgrade progress, continue regular quality-of-service reporting, and provide new outage notifications to state regulators and emergency management officials for major service disruptions going forward.

Customer service and consumer safeguards are expanded under the proposed agreement, including 24/7 customer contact options, required identification for door-to-door company representatives, and added protections for vulnerable customers and qualifying pre-existing "price for life" agreements entered into prior to the close of the transaction will be honored.

The settlement further includes commitments that Charter expand its video service offering in former Cox service areas and carry any future Connecticut focused local news channel on basic service tiers. Charter will be required to maintain ongoing regulatory cooperation and data sharing with state agencies, comply with state non-discrimination laws, and submit a specified Connecticut Data Privacy Act impact assessment and state focused integration report.

The settlement was negotiated after the close of an extensive evidentiary record and briefing in December 2025 and is now before PURA for review. If approved, the commitments will become enforceable conditions of the transaction in Connecticut.

More information, and the settlement filed with PURA, can be found here.
Twitter: @AGWilliamTong Facebook: CT Attorney General

Media Contact:

Elizabeth Benton [email protected]

Consumer Inquiries:

860-808-5318 [email protected]

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