WILTON — Charter Communications, Inc., has closed it’s deal on the acquisition of Bee Line Cable.
The agreement was finalized on Tuesday, June 6. The sale was confirmed by Lara Pritchard, Senior Director of Communications for the Northeast Region for Charter.
News of the sale arose when Melinda Kinney, senior director government affairs for Charter Communications and Shelley Winchenbach, director government affairs for Charter Communications, appeared before the Wilton Select Board in early March to give a presentation on Charter Communications and what the company has to offer.
George Allen, general manager for Bee Line Cable, was also in attendance at the meeting and spoke with the Franklin Journal about the sale. According to Allen, Charter’s interest in Bee Line stems all the way back to Time Warner Cable, which was purchased by Charter in 2016 for $56.7 million dollars.
“Time Warner was always knocking on our door because our properties are pretty nice,” Allen said.
With the deal closed, Pritchard confirmed the company would be moving into the next phase. “We are working to launch Spectrum-branded connectivity services in communities previously served by Bee Line, bringing broadband speed and service enhancements to thousands of their Somerset and Franklin county customers,” she said.
Bee Line provides service for several communities, including East Millinocket, Millinocket, Anson, Madison, Skowhegan, Farmington, Wilton, and Industry, and is the oldest broadband company in the state of Maine, according to Allen.
Charter, within the state of Maine services 295 communities and has 753 employees. Charter Communications boasts a customer base of roughly 466,000, according to the directors’ presentation.
Public response to the sale of Bee Line has been mixed, with some residents voicing their dissatisfaction with Bee Line and others doing the same for Charter.
“Bee Line didn’t take very good care of Wilton and hasn’t met its commitments for a number of years,” Wilton Town Manager Perry Ellsworth stated at a Select Board meeting. Several other audience members also voiced their dissatisfaction with Bee Line Cable.
In the original story, several users commented expressing concern over losing Bee Line to Charter.
“This is definitely bad news for Bee Line customers,” one user commented. “I had Bee Line when I lived in Millinocket, and they were a good, caring, local company that provided excellent service. Since I’ve had Spectrum that has not been the case. Yearly price hikes and poor service has been the rule.”
More information on the transition from Bee Line Cable to Charter Communications will come as it becomes available. Allen stated that Bee Line would continue to service their respective communities until Charter fully takes over operations.
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