By Staff Report Friday, May 16th, 2025

In a $34.5 billion deal that will consolidate Central Coast broadband operations under the Charter Communications banner, Cox Communications will merge its cable operations with St. Louis-based Charter Communications.

If approved by regulators, the transaction will add Cox cable operations in south Santa Barbara  County to Charter’s existing coverage of most of Ventura County and all of San Luis Obispo County. The north Santa Barbara County area will remain operated by Comcast, the nation’s No. 1 cable operator.

According to reporting by CNBC, “the agreement values Cox at $34.5 billion on an enterprise basis – comprised of $21.9 billion of equity and $12.6 billion of net debt and other obligations.”  Cox is privately owned by the Cox family, while Charter, which is public and the No. 2 cable franchise, saw its shares rise slightly after the deal was announced on May 16.

Charter CEO Chris Winfrey said in a widely quoted statement that the deal would be  “good for America” and said it will “return jobs from overseas and create new, good-paying customer service and sales careers.” Charter also said it expects to achieve $500 million in cost savings as a result of the deal, which will need FTC approval.

The Cox California units involved in the sale include its flagship San Diego operation and a smaller Bakersfield operation. Cox is based in Atlanta.