Charter Says Fixed Wireless Was a Factor in Q2 Broadband Subscriber Declines

Charter Communications Chief Financial Officer Jessica Fischer tacitly acknowledged the impact of fixed wireless access (FWA) competition on broadband subscriber growth. FWA technology was one of four factors that led to the cable operator’s first-ever broadband customer loss in Q2. Charter lost about 21,000 broadband customers in the second quarter, one of several cable operators that experienced declines in that segment after months of slow growth. Fischer said Q2 performance was impacted by four factors: sluggish new home growth, seasonality, fixed wireless competition, and fiber overbuilds. Fischer was quick to clarify that the impact from FWA was more due to customers who may have chosen Charter broadband had FWA  technology not been available, rather than existing Charter customers switching providers. And she said she doesn’t anticipate that impact to last long. Fischer noted that she expects customers to come back to Charter as broadband cable technology offers consistent speed and reliability when compared to FWA technology.