Charter Communications Inc. was fined $20,000 for violating federal rules governing signal leakage from cable plant, the Federal Communications Commission said last Wednesday.
The FCC's Enforcement Bureau issued the fine after investigating signal leakage at a Charter system in Burlington, Colo., over several days in April 2001.
Charter sought to reduce the fine, arguing that it had just acquired the system, which was in poor condition. The FCC refused to cut the fine, saying Charter's signal leakage problems represented "willful and repeated" violations of agency rules.
Charter has 30 days to pay the fine.
The FCC monitors cable-signal leakage. Signals that escape cable plant can interfere with communications between airplanes and flight-traffic controllers.
