Charter CEO Chris Winfrey Dismisses FWA as ‘Cellphone Internet’

Charter CEO Chris Winfrey at SCTE Cable-Tec Expo General Session
Charter CEO Christopher Winfrey (Image credit: Robb Cohen Photography & Video)

Charter Communications CEO Christopher Winfrey came out swinging against cable's fast-emerging fixed wireless access competition at a Morgan Stanley investor conference Wednesday, repeatedly calling the technology an “inferior product” and labeling it several times as “cellphone internet.”

“That’s what it is — cellphone internet,” Winfrey declared repeatedly, noting the cable industry “needs to do a better job of marketing” against its fast-rising wireless competitors. (You can access a replay of Winfrey's Morgan Stanley appearance here.)

"We need to articulate to the customer that the reason you're getting that incrementally low price point [on FWA] is because you're overpaying on your wireless line," he explained. 

Also read: Wireless Org Says Cable Lobbyists Are Trying To Block Allocation of 5G Spectrum To Stymie FWA

After launching their respective FWA platforms in 2021, T-Mobile and Verizon Communications have come to dominate customer additions for home internet service. 

“We’re in a lull right now from a net adds perspective,” Winfrey said, noting that consumers are moving less and that there's still a hangover from the massive uptake of high-speed internet service during the pandemic. 

And there’s new competition from FWA. 

“Any time you have a new competitor inside a marketplace, you're going to see disruption,” Winfrey said. 

Meanwhile, the Charter CEO was also asked about the so-called Spulu joint streaming venture announced recently by Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery. 

“We don't have a lot of the details, and I'm not sure the deal is final, but whether it’s 60% or 65% of sports content, I'm not sure it scratches the itch of the sports fanatic,” Winfrey said. 

In any case, he added: “You have three of the largest programmers who have decided that genre-based packaging is the way to go. I agree with that. We've been saying that for several decades. And when you step back, it's an admission from programmers that that’s the way to go … And I fully expect that we’ll have the ability to distribute content in the same way.”  

Daniel Frankel

Daniel Frankel is the managing editor of Next TV, an internet publishing vertical focused on the business of video streaming. A Los Angeles-based writer and editor who has covered the media and technology industries for more than two decades, Daniel has worked on staff for publications including E! Online, Electronic Media, Mediaweek, Variety, paidContent and GigaOm. You can start living a healthier life with greater wealth and prosperity by following Daniel on Twitter today!

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