Gov. Cuomo applauds boycott of Charter Spectrum

Governor Andrew Cuomo is applauding the mayor of New York City for canceling his weekly interview on NY1, the Spectrum News channel serving the Big Apple. 

Bill de Blasio called off his 'Mondays with the Mayor' segment due to an ongoing strike against Spectrum by members of IBEW Local 3.

Some 1,800 cable technicians have been striking since March 2017, citing "the corporation's refusal to offer workers fair wages and benefits," according to the New York Daily News.

In July, the New York Public Service Commission decided to revoke its franchise and kick Charter Spectrum out of the state, claiming it was not moving fast enough in efforts to expand internet service. 

Last week, the commission agreed to give the company another 45 days to negotiate its future in New York.  

"I applaud Mayor de Blasio for boycotting the network and encourage other officials to do the same," Cumo said in a statement. "Consumers must be made aware of teh abuses of Charter Spectrum, which the network has conspicuously failed to report on any of its broadcasts. Consumer pressure will affect Charter's bottom line, which is obviously their only concern."

Charter has accused the commission of being politically motivated. 

"Spectrum has extended the reach of our advanced broadband network to more than 86,000 New York homes and businesses since our merger agreement with the PSC," said spokesman Andrew Russell. "Our 11,000 diverse and locally based workers, who serve millions of customers in the state every day, remain focused on delivering faster and better broadband to more New Yorkers, as we promised."

According to the PSC, Charter is the largest cable provider in New York. It provides service to more than two million subscribers in 1,150 communities statewide. 

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