Syracuse, N.Y. -- What should Charter Spectrum customers do now that the New York Public Service Commission has ordered the state's largest cable company to get out?

Unhappy with the speed of the company's expansion of its broadband network to rural unserved and underserved areas of the state, the commission ordered Charter Communications on July 27 to cease operating its Spectrum cable franchises in New York within six months.

So, Charter customers may be wondering if they should run out and find a new provider for their cable television, broadband or telephone service soon.

Probably not.

The commission ordered Charter to continue operating its franchises until they are transitioned in an orderly fashion to another provider or providers. When that happens, Charter's customers presumably would simply be switched over to the new provider.

But the when and the if of that happening are very much up in the air. Though Charter was given six months to get out - and 60 days to submit a plan for the transition - the company isn't likely to be going anywhere in six months. Or six months after that.

That's because Charter has made it clear it isn't about to walk away from one of the largest cable markets in the country without a fight. On Tuesday, it said it was prepared to fight a lengthy legal battle against the commission's "unprecedented actions."

"We expect these proceedings to continue for up to several years," the company said.

On Wednesday, the company struck a more conciliatory tone. It agreed to obey the commission's order, first issued in June, to stop saying in its advertising that it is meeting - and even exceeding - its network build-out obligations.

"In an effort to help bring about a resolution of outstanding disputed matters with the Public Service Commission of New York, Charter will halt airing certain advertising," the company said in a statement. "We look forward to resolving all matters currently disputed with the PSC in the not too distant future."

The commission said the Stamford, Conn., based company has repeatedly failed to meet required network expansion milestones included in the commission's 2016 approval of Charter's merger with Time Warner Cable.

Regulators said Charter's new customer hookups in New York City and several Upstate New York cities don't count toward its build-out requirements. But Charter said they should count, contending that the commission's original order contained no geographical or population density restrictions.

Charter provides cable television, broadband and telephone service to more than 2 million subscribers in more than 1,150 communities in New York. Who would take over its network if Charter is eventually forced to leave?

It's hard to say. Comcast, the nation's biggest cable company, does not currently operate in New York. And while there are multiple satellite tv and streaming video services widely available and even multiple options for telephone service, Spectrum is the only broadband provider in many of the communities in which Charter operates.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he thinks plenty of companies would be interested in replacing Charter.

"It is a highly valuable franchise," he said during a visit to Auburn soon after the commission's vote on July 27. "Any company would want it."

Editor's note: Advance/Newhouse Partnership, which has an ownership stake in Charter Communications Inc., is part of Advance Publications, owner of Advance Local. Advance Local owns Syracuse.com, NYUP.com and The Post-Standard.

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