A Conversation With Cablevision’s New Owner

A Q&A with Dexter Goei, chairman and chief executive of Altice USA.

The European telecommunications operator Altice completed its $17.7 billion deal for Cablevision, its second major acquisition in a year and a step toward its goal of becoming a leading cable and broadband Internet provider in the United States. In an interview, Dexter Goei, chairman and chief executive of Altice USA, talked about the company’s plans and how, despite the many regulations recently aimed at the cable and broadband industry, he is not scared off. He was asked, "It would seem like this is a bad time to invest in the United States market if you read statements from cable firms. They complain about too much regulation from the Federal Communications Commission." He responded, "It’s too early to tell if we have a strong point of view on any issues. These are, as you may suspect, in other markets we are in. On net neutrality, we have the same directives in Europe that are percolating. On the all-vid, or set-top box proposal, this is a very US type of issue that we aren’t smart enough around today. We don’t have that issue today in other markets."