- Charter’s CFO Jessica Fischer is leaving for a new opportunity
- In other news, AT&T has sued Charter for false advertising
- AT&T claims it's deceptive to call Charter's network ‘fiber-powered’
Charter Communications today announced that its CFO Jessica Fischer will depart the company on October 15 to take a different professional opportunity at an un-named company.
Fischer joined Charter nearly 10 years ago and became CFO in 2021.
Charter will begin a search for her replacement immediately, and in the meantime, it has named Kevin Howard, currently EVP and chief accounting officer and controller, to the position of interim CFO effective October 15.
AT&T files suit against Charter for false advertising
In other Charter news, AT&T has filed a lawsuit against Charter, alleging false advertising.
The lawsuit, filed in the District Court for the Northern District of Texas, claims that Charter’s advertising for its broadband service uses words such as “fiber powered” to deceptively suggest that customers will receive a fiber-to-the-home service.
In truth, most of Charter’s access network is hybrid fiber coax (HFC), meaning it uses fiber optic cable from the headend to a group of nodes, but it uses copper to deliver the signal from individual nodes to homes.
AT&T’s complaint says Charter’s advertising “conveys to reasonable consumers the misleading impression that Spectrum Internet is a fiber-to-the-home service comparable to AT&T Fiber. In fact, the vast majority of Spectrum Internet runs over a hybrid fiber-coaxial network, where the critical ‘last mile’ connection to the customer’s home uses copper coaxial cable, not fiber.”
AT&T added, “Recently, Charter acquired Cox Communications, which also uses the misleading phrase ‘fiber-powered internet’ to advertise its hybrid fiber-copper network. That acquisition positions Charter to amplify the extent of its deceptive campaign.”
AT&T is requesting a jury trial and asking the court to require Charter to cease describing its HFC service as “fiber-powered”; and for Charter to pay damages to AT&T.
This isn’t the first time AT&T has complained that Charter is using false advertising. In March, the National Advertising Division (NAD) was asked to look at the same issue. At that time, Charter agreed to voluntarily modify its advertising. The NAD stated, “Based on this voluntary permanent modification, NAD did not address the merits of the challenge, and for compliance purposes it will be treated as if NAD recommended the modification to Spectrum’s advertising.”
But an AT&T spokesperson this week said of the NAD dispute, “Charter added disclaimers, but we believe that doesn’t resolve the fundamental concern: If copper cable connects to the home, why call the service fiber?”
Fierce reached out to Charter for comment, and a spokesperson said, “The NAD has already rejected AT&T’s complaints regarding Spectrum’s Fiber Powered Network. We think the court here will do the same thing.”
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