Local cable TV provider changes hands again

Connecticut-based Charter Communications Inc. has acquired  Optimum West and is now the broadband provider for 375,000 customers in Montana, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, with cable-television, Internet and telephone services.

The recent business change explains why local cable customers in recent days find themselves listening to a company spokeswoman on channel 999 when they turn on their televisions. The $1.625 billion purchase was announced in early February.

“With the completion of our acquisition of Optimum West, Charter welcomes new customers, new employees and new communities,” Charter president and CEO Tom Rutledge said in a release. “These former Bresnan properties, which under (Cablevision Systems Corp.’s) leadership became some of the fastest growing cable properties in the United States, are an ideal fit for Charter, and we anticipate a smooth and efficient integration process.”