California Approves Charter Communications Acquisition of Cox Communications

The California Public Utilities Commission unanimously approved the $34.5-billion acquisition of Cox Communications by Charter Communications on Thursday, clearing the final regulatory hurdle for the merger. The deal establishes Charter's Spectrum brand as the largest cable company in the United States, surpassing Comcast Corp.

To secure the approval, Charter agreed to a series of consumer protections and infrastructure commitments. These include providing affordable packages for low-income residents for five years, investing $30 million in digital literacy and education, and spending at least $275 million on equipment upgrades. The company must also provide free broadband to eligible community centers and issue automatic bill credits for service outages lasting two hours or more.

The merger is expected to close next week, with Cox customers transitioning to Spectrum service by mid-September. This transition is expected to end a decade-long blackout of SportsNet LA for former Cox subscribers.