The Connecticut Attorney General and Consumer Counsel secured a settlement requiring Charter Communications to adhere to consumer protection commitments as it acquires Cox Communications. The agreement, pending PURA approval, includes pricing transparency, service reliability improvements, a $3 million digital access investment, and compliance with the Connecticut Data Privacy Act. It also maintains a Connecticut workforce and office, and prevents cost pass-through to customers.
The settlement requires Charter to maintain its Stamford office and in-state workforce for five years, invest $3 million in digital access and literacy, ensure billing transparency and limit fees, provide battery-backup options and outage credits, expand video services in former Cox areas, carry local news channels, and submit a CTDPA impact assessment and integration report. It also prohibits passing transaction costs to customers and ensures cooperation with state agencies.
In-house legal teams should review all customer-facing agreements (including service contracts, terms of service, and data processing addendums) for Charter and Cox in Connecticut. Specific clauses to scrutinize include pricing terms (to ensure transparency and prevent hidden fees), service level agreements (to verify reliability and outage reporting standards), data handling provisions (to confirm compliance with the Connecticut Data Privacy Act), and any cost allocation or pass-through language. Changes may be needed to embed pricing transparency mechanisms, update SLAs with measurable reliability metrics, incorporate data privacy compliance certifications, and explicitly prohibit passing merger-related costs to customers. Additionally, agreements involving workforce or local office commitments should be aligned with the settlement's maintenance requirements.
Entity
Charter Communications and Cox Communications
Also known as: Charter Communications, Cox Communications
Industry
TelecommunicationsOfficial Press Release
https://portal.ct.gov/ag/press-releases/2026-press-releases/consumer-protection-commitments-in-proposed-charter-cox-merger-settlement
charter cox occ oag settlement agreement.pdf?rev=a4b40ef158a
https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/ag/press_releases/2026/charter-cox-occ-oag-settlement-agreement.pdf?rev=a4b40ef158a6488d85c753d1f7f9f7ab&hash=29E8870D9ED013BBE4575418ADC56DA8
Connecticut Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://portal.ct.gov/AG/Privacy/Privacy-Resources
"Charter has sought approval from the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to acquire Cox."
"submit a specified Connecticut Data Privacy Act impact assessment"
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of states and local governments in filing suit against NHTSA over its rule weakening fuel economy standards for new passenger cars and light trucks. The lawsuit alleges the rule violates the agency’s statutory mandate and the Administrative Procedure Act; no penalty or final remedy is reported.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined a multistate coalition suing the EPA over its repeal of greenhouse gas pollution limits for power plants and separately filed a notice of intent to sue over regulation of existing gas plants. The coalition asks the court to overturn the repeal and restore the protections; the release reports no monetary penalty or final order.
$400.0M
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced a $400 million settlement with Sandoz Inc. and Fougera Pharmaceuticals Inc. resolving allegations that the generic drug manufacturers conspired to inflate prices, limit competition, and restrain trade. The settlement includes consumer restitution and injunctive reforms; court approval was being sought.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general in submitting a comment letter opposing a DHS rule that allows certain affirmative asylum applications to be referred to removal proceedings without an asylum officer interview. The coalition argues the rule violates federal law and harms asylum seekers, including unaccompanied children; this was a policy opposition letter, not a privacy enforcement action.
Connecticut and Massachusetts co-led a coalition protest urging FERC to reject the proposed NextEra Energy-Dominion Energy merger. The coalition argued that the merger could increase market power and threaten energy affordability, reliability, and competition; the release does not report a final enforcement decision or penalty.
Connecticut officials warned residents about potential home improvement scams before an approaching nor’easter, including unlicensed contractors, high-pressure sales tactics, and demands for full payment upfront. The release provides consumer guidance on checking contractors and contract requirements; it does not announce an enforcement action or penalty against a named entity.