HOLLYWOOD, Md. (January 18, 2018)—Atlantic Broadband has completed its acquisition of all MetroCast cable systems in the United States, according to a statement from a public relations firm the company has retained.
Jess Stafanowicz, spokesperson for Atlantic Broadband, which is a subsidiary of Cogeco Communications of Montreal in Canada, said that the MetroCast name would eventually be supplanted in favor of the Atlantic Broadband moniker but not until the spring.
She said customers can expect "faster internet speeds, TiVo services and Netflix access."
"As of now everything stays the same," Stefanowicz told The County Times, stating also that she was not aware of any service rate increases.
Metrocast has not responded to complaints regarding the removal of certain sports channels in the their cable lineup.
With the acquisition of Metrocast, Atlantic Broadband now operates cable and internet services in 11 states from Maine to Florida, serving more than 800,000 homes.
MetroCast operates in New Hampshire, Maine, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, with a virtual monopoly on on-line and cable services in St. Mary's County.
The total cost of MetroCast's assets is about $1.4 billion.
Though it has a dominant market share here, Metrocast has been on the receiving end of constant complaints from residents who cannot share in their services due to cable not being laid near their homes, often in isolated rural areas.
MetroCast representatives have responded by saying that to lay new fiber optic cables in such areas would be too expensive for lack of population density.
The option to run fiber to more isolated homes exists but at a high cost.
Elected leaders have said that the current cable franchise agreement with the MetroCast gives virtually no room for negotiation on expansion of services.
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