February 4, 2026
California Public Utilities Commission
505 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102
Re: Proceeding Number A2507016,
Charter Communications, Inc. and Cox Communications, Inc.
Dear Commissioners,
On behalf of the more than one million members and supporters of Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), including the 36,410 in the state of California, I write to urge you to approve the pending merger transaction between Charter Communications, Inc. and Cox Communications, Inc.
The merger would increase competition, improve service for the areas covered by Charter and Cox, and build on their track record of delivering affordable products. As noted by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation in its October 5, 2025, comments to the Federal Communications Commission, “Charter predicts the merger will cut operating costs by $500 million within the first three years of the transaction’s close. In turn, that reduced cost will then be shared across a larger, combined footprint of 36 million customers. The result is less expensive, high-quality Internet service for those millions of Americans.”[i]
According to information on company websites, Charter Communications currently serves more than 31 million customers across 41 states with more than 5 million customers and 1.323 million mobile lines in California alone. From 2020 to 2024, the company invested nearly $47 billion in infrastructure and technology. In California, the company employs more than 7,500 California residents, with its largest employment centers located in San Diego, Los Angeles, and El Segundo, paid $343 million in taxes and fees, and made $1.1 billion in capital investments in the state during 2024.[ii]
Cox Communications currently has approximately 6.5 million total residential and commercial customers and operates in 18 states, including Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Virginia. The company has invested more than $15 billion in communities it serves over the last 10 years and employs approximately 18,000 individuals nationwide.[iii]
Merging these two companies will provide significant benefits to their current and future customers, as well as effectively and efficiently connect businesses and households in communities across California. The merger of existing infrastructure, research and development activities, and planned capital investments will also provide businesses and consumers with faster network upgrades, expanded network coverage, and greater streaming content variety.[iv]
CAGW appreciates your consideration of these arguments in favor of the Charter-Cox merger and urges you to vote in favor of this transaction.
Sincerely,
Tom Schatz
President
Citizens Against Government Waste
[i] Ellis Scherer, “Comments to the FCC Regarding Applications Filed for the Transfer of Cox Enterprises, Inc. to Charter Communications,” Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, October 7, 2025, https://itif.org/publications/2025/10/07/comments-fcc-regarding-applications-transfer-cox-enterprises-to-charter-communications/.
[ii] Charter Communications, “Our Impact In California,” https://policy.charter.com/charter-california-fact-sheet.pdf.
[iii] Cox Communications, “Cox Communications Fact Sheet,” https://newsroom.cox.com/company-overview.
[iv] Thomas Willcox, “Why the Charter-Cox merger Is a no-brainer,” The Washington Reporter, October 1, 2025, https://washingtonreporter.news/op-ed-thomas-willcox-why-the-charter-cox-merger-is-a-no-brainer/.