Charter plans to establish Southeast offices in Atlanta after Cox deal

Charter announced the combination last year in a complex transaction that would see Cox Communications’ parent company, Cox Enterprises, become the largest shareholder.

The merged cable company will be publicly traded and based in Connecticut, where Charter is currently headquartered. During a media call on Thursday afternoon, Charter President and CEO Chris Winfrey said Charter has committed to maintaining a significant presence in Atlanta. It entered into a long-term lease at the Cox headquarters campus. Some functions will come out of Atlanta and others are being relocated to Atlanta.

“Our goal is to fill it and have a well-populated building that takes advantage of frankly first-class facilities and be side by side with the other Cox businesses along the way,” Winfrey said during the media call.

The combined company will have more than 100,000 employees. As with any merger, layoffs are expected as the company reduces redundant roles. Winfrey said during the call that the company doesn’t plan to cut pay or hours. Local field operations, sales, supervisors and managers shouldn’t expect any change in headcount, he said.

Charter expects the deal to save about $500 million within three years of close, according to the May 2025 announcement. Charter also completed an all-stock transaction with Liberty Broadband Corp., according to the release.

The Charter-Cox deal, initially announced in May of last year, is a major milestone in consolidation among cable and broadband operators.

Alex Taylor, chairman and CEO of Cox Enterprises, will join the board of the new company and become its chairman, and he will remain chairman and chief executive of Cox Enterprises. Winfrey will remain as president and CEO of the merged cable business.

“For generations, my family has believed in building businesses that matter and stand the test of time. The broadband industry has shaped how people live, work and connect with one another, and we believe deeply in its future,” Taylor said in the release. “I look forward to partnering with Chris and the board to build on a proud legacy and create long-term value for our shareholders, customers, employees and the communities we serve.”

Charter and Cox have said that together they will be bigger and better able to compete in an evolving marketplace that has seen consumers access television, other forms of video entertainment and the internet in different ways, increasingly wirelessly and on the go. Streaming services have changed the way many consumers watch video and TV, and wireless and satellite companies have expanded into internet service. Cable companies have responded by launching cellular networks.

“The market has changed considerably over the past decade, and regional providers like Spectrum are competing with national and even global connectivity and entertainment companies,” Winfrey said in a statement issued when the deal closed early Thursday. “Today, with expanded scale, we are better positioned to compete and continue investment in our products and service, tools and platforms, and to further the capability and reach of our Spectrum Fiber Broadband Network.”

The transaction comes with an onshoring customer service jobs currently handled overseas by Cox. Charter, which Winfrey said already has 100% U.S.-based employees, anticipates bringing the jobs to the U.S. within 18 months.

This commitment was praised by Chairman Brendan Carr when the Federal Communications Commission approved the deal in February. Carr also praised Charter’s plan to invest billions to upgrade its network and activate new services across rural states and “enshrines protections against DEI (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) discrimination.”

What does this mean for customers?

Charter is a major cable and broadband provider in Georgia. Cox has the bulk of its business in the Western U.S., and has a smaller footprint in the Peach State.

Charter and Cox customers will likely not see a change in service.

Customers’ equipment will continue working, their account information won’t change and pricing and current plan will stay the same. Automatic payments and billing will continue as-is.

Spectrum is offering a free year of mobile service to Cox internet customers who don’t already subscribe to Cox Mobile, according to the release. In mid-September, Spectrum plans to launch its entire suite of products to all consumers in former Cox markets.

As part of the acquisition, eligible Cox TV customers will have select streaming apps, including HBO Max, Disney+ and Paramount+, among others, added to their service at no extra cost.

What’s changing at Cox Enterprises?

Cox Enterprises is one of the nation’s largest privately held companies and its holdings include The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises and its subsidiaries now own approximately 26% of the combined entity’s fully diluted shares outstanding, according to the press release.

The combined company will assume $12 billion in outstanding Cox Communications debt.

The Cox family is the longest continuous operator in the cable sector and was previously the largest privately held operator. In recent years, Cox Enterprises has diversified its holdings, selling majority stakes in its television and radio stations and making acquisitions in clean energy, electric vehicles and the EV supply chain, health technology, sustainable agriculture and media.

Cox Enterprises will continue to own its Cox Automotive division, media holdings, including the AJC and Axios, and its emerging ventures in technology, agriculture and other sectors.

Cox Enterprises has also appointed its President and Chief Financial Officer Dallas Clement and Cox Communications President Mark Greatrex to Charter’s board.