CompanyGraph
Charter Communications Inc.
CHTR · United States
Routes broadband, video, and voice traffic over DOCSIS 3.1 hybrid fiber-coaxial plant whose fixed geographic footprint forces all unit economics through subscriber density within that licensed boundary.
Charter's DOCSIS 3.1 hybrid fiber-coaxial plant can only add capacity through physical node splitting within municipally franchised boundaries, which means subscriber density inside those fixed footprints determines whether infrastructure investment is recoverable. That same coaxial architecture caps upload bandwidth below what fiber-to-the-home delivers symmetrically, so closing the gap with fiber overbuilders — including those now entering franchised areas with government subsidies — requires full last-mile replacement rather than incremental upgrades. The mobile leg depends on a wholesale arrangement with Verizon whose cost structure only functions as a differentiator as long as Verizon's wholesale terms remain below the cost of offloaded traffic, creating a dependency that the network owner can reprice unilaterally. Customer-premises hardware lock-in, device financing exit costs, and franchise barriers slow subscriber defection in the interim, but each of those friction points operates only within the geographic and contractual boundaries that already define where capacity investment is recoverable in the first place.
How does this company make money?
The business collects monthly recurring subscription payments for broadband, video, and voice services, structured in tiers based on speed and channel package selection. Equipment rental payments for cable modems and set-top boxes add a recurring hardware layer on top of service subscriptions. Spectrum Mobile service subscriptions contribute an additional recurring stream tied to the mobile offering.
What makes this company hard to replace?
Cable modem termination system equipment locks customers to DOCSIS-compatible devices, creating a hardware dependency that makes switching require replacing customer-premises equipment. Municipal franchise agreements raise regulatory barriers for any new cable overbuilder attempting to enter an existing service area. Spectrum Mobile device financing arrangements include early termination fees that create a direct financial cost for subscribers who switch before their device is paid off.
What limits this company?
Coaxial cable's spectral physics cap asymmetric upload bandwidth below what fiber-to-the-home achieves symmetrically. Closing that gap requires replacing the coaxial last-mile entirely — not upgrading DOCSIS software — making upload speed parity with fiber overbuilders a full capital replacement event rather than an incremental throughput adjustment.
What does this company depend on?
Spectrum Mobile's operations depend on access to the Verizon Wireless network under its MVNO agreement. Video programming requires active licensing agreements with Netflix and Disney+. The physical cable systems depend on local franchise agreements with municipal governments in each service area, on Arris and Cisco DOCSIS equipment for network infrastructure, and on utility pole attachment rights for aerial cable plant.
Who depends on this company?
Rural broadband customers in underserved areas would lose high-speed internet access if service ceased. Small businesses using Spectrum Business Ethernet services would face operational disruption from connectivity loss. Spectrum Mobile subscribers depend on the cable network for data offload and would experience service degradation if that offload layer became unavailable.
How does this company scale?
Video content programming costs and network management software replicate cheaply across additional subscribers within existing service areas. Physical cable plant extension to new neighborhoods resists scaling because each mile of new coaxial and fiber infrastructure requires trenching, utility pole attachments, and neighborhood node installation that cannot be automated.
What external forces can significantly affect this company?
FCC broadband speed definition increases can reclassify existing service tiers as inadequate, forcing upgrades regardless of current customer demand. Cord-cutting driven by streaming platform proliferation reduces video subscriber volumes. State and federal infrastructure spending directed at competing fiber networks in rural markets introduces government-subsidized overbuilders into areas the cable plant already serves.
Where is this company structurally vulnerable?
The offload advantage exists only while Verizon's MVNO agreement (a wholesale arrangement under which Spectrum Mobile uses Verizon's network under contract rather than owning its own towers) remains active on terms that keep wholesale wireless cost below the cost of the traffic being offloaded. If Verizon reprices wholesale access or restricts network management to favor its own retail subscribers, the cost structure of the mobile leg inverts and the differentiator that justified lower mobile pricing collapses with it.