Thomas Rutledge on COVID-19 response
From Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR) Q1 2020 Earnings Conference Call · · AlphaStreet
“We committed to offer Spectrum Internet for free for 60 days to households with students or educators who do not already have a Spectrum Internet subscription. We also committed to suspend collection activities, not terminate service, for residential or small or medium business customers who are experiencing COVID-19 related economic challenges.”
On , Thomas Rutledge, Former Chairman & Chief Executive Officer at Charter Communications, spoke about COVID-19 response during Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR) Q1 2020 Earnings Conference Call on AlphaStreet.
About Thomas Rutledge
During Charter Communications' first quarter 2020 earnings call on April 30, 2020, Thomas Rutledge discussed the company's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He stated that in mid-March, Charter pledged to offer free Spectrum Internet for 60 days to households with students or educators without a subscription, later extending the offer through June 30. Rutledge attributed the performance of Charter's network to significant investments and a pro-investment regulatory climate, and he praised the FCC's decision to free up 1,200 megahertz of six gigahertz spectrum for Wi-Fi as a "transformational step." Rutledge also addressed the impact of sports programming on content costs, stating that sports is the "major driver" and makes the product "difficult to sell" due to consumer costs. He expressed a desire to pass sports programming costs back to customers if events are not paid for or do not occur, but noted that contractual bundling limits control. He added that revenue growth would be lower than anticipated, but operating cost improvements and capital expenditure delays would support cash flow growth.