Ending minutes
of speculation, Charter Communications confirmed it has acquired
Cablevision Systems' Optimum West properties for $1.625 billion.
Optimum West, the former Bresnan Communications, has about
304,000 customers in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Montana.
"With this transaction, Charter will acquire some of the
fastest growing cable assets in the United States," said Charter CEO Tom
Rutledge in a statement . "These former Bresnan properties operate in growing
communities, and the network, employees and customer base have been well served
for many years. In particular, over the past two years Cablevision, as Optimum
West, has grown video, Internet and telephone customers through the execution
of a product and service strategy, which is the same as the one we recently
implemented at Charter. Optimum West is an ideal fit for Charter and we
anticipate an efficient integration process."
Cablevision bought the former Bresnan properties in 2010 for
about $1.4 billion. The company put the systems on the block late last year
after receiving several inquiries from outside parties.
