Charter shifting customers to 'all digital'

Photo/Charter Communications New set-top boxes will be available for customers as Charter goes all-digital

Write a Comment

Charter Communications is promising faster Internet speeds and better TV reception for customers in Central Massachusetts as it completes its shift from analog to an all-digital network this year, the company said.

“By removing outdated analog signals, we regain bandwidth in our network, enabling us to provide more (high-definition) channels and open the door to faster Internet speeds and future innovation,” President and CEO Tom Rutledge said in a statement. “This upgrade speaks to the fact that Charter is providing our customers with the very best products at the very best value, and we’ve invested more than $2 billion in our fiber-rich network to make that happen.”

Charter said that once the upgrade is complete, it will double residential Internet speeds from 30 to 60 megabits per second at no additional cost, and its 12,000 TV subscribers — including 3,000 businesses — will have a better picture and video- on-demand services.

The upgrade is scheduled to begin Sept. 30 and continue through Oct. 28.

As part of this upgrade process, customers must acquire Charter-issued digital set-top boxes for each television set in their home or business at no cost for between one and five years depending on the programming package, the company said.