Risk Factors - CHTR

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$CHTR Risk Factor changes from 00/01/28/22/2022 to 00/01/27/23/2023

Item 1A. under “Risk Factors” and in Part II. Item 7. under the heading, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this annual report. Many of the forward-looking statements contained in this annual report may be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “should,” “planned,” “will,” “may,” “intend,” “estimated,” “aim,” “on track,” “target,” “opportunity,” “tentative,” “positioning,” “designed,” “create,” “predict,” “project,” “initiatives,” “seek,” “would,” “could,” “continue,” “ongoing,” “upside,” “increases,” “grow,” “focused on” and “potential,” among others. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements we make in this annual report are set forth in this annual report and in other reports or documents that we file from time to time with the SEC, and include, but are not limited to: •our ability to sustain and grow revenues and cash flow from operations by offering Internet, video, voice, mobile, advertising and other services to residential and commercial customers, to adequately meet the customer experience demands in our service areas and to maintain and grow our customer base, particularly in the face of increasingly aggressive competition, the need for innovation and the related capital expenditures;•the impact of competition from other market participants, including but not limited to incumbent telephone companies, direct broadcast satellite ("DBS") operators, wireless broadband and telephone providers, digital subscriber line (“DSL”) providers, fiber to the home providers and providers of video content over broadband Internet connections; •general business conditions, unemployment levels and the level of activity in the housing sector and economic uncertainty or downturn; •our ability to obtain programming at reasonable prices or to raise prices to offset, in whole or in part, the effects of higher programming costs (including retransmission consents and distribution requirements); •our ability to develop and deploy new products and technologies including consumer services and service platforms; •any events that disrupt our networks, information systems or properties and impair our operating activities or our reputation;•the effects of governmental regulation on our business including subsidies to consumers, subsidies and incentives for competitors, costs, disruptions and possible limitations on operating flexibility related to, and our ability to comply with, regulatory conditions applicable to us;•the ability to hire and retain key personnel;•our ability to procure necessary services and equipment from our vendors in a timely manner and at reasonable costs including in connection with our network evolution and rural construction initiatives;•the availability and access, in general, of funds to meet our debt obligations prior to or when they become due and to fund our operations and necessary capital expenditures, either through (i) cash on hand, (ii) free cash flow, or (iii) access to the capital or credit markets; and•our ability to comply with all covenants in our indentures and credit facilities, any violation of which, if not cured in a timely manner, could trigger a default of our other obligations under cross-default provisions. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements we make in this annual report are set forth in this annual report and in other reports or documents that we file from time to time with the SEC, and include, but are not limited to: •our ability to sustain and grow revenues and cash flow from operations by offering Internet, video, voice, mobile, advertising and other services to residential and commercial customers, to adequately meet the customer experience demands in our service areas and to maintain and grow our customer base, particularly in the face of increasingly aggressive competition, the need for innovation and the related capital expenditures;•the impact of competition from other market participants, including but not limited to incumbent telephone companies, direct broadcast satellite ("DBS") operators, wireless broadband and telephone providers, digital subscriber line (“DSL”) providers, fiber to the home providers and providers of video content over broadband Internet connections; •general business conditions, unemployment levels and the level of activity in the housing sector and economic uncertainty or downturn, including the impacts of the Novel Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic to sales opportunities from residential move activity, our customers, our vendors and local, state and federal governmental responses to the pandemic; •our ability to obtain programming at reasonable prices or to raise prices to offset, in whole or in part, the effects of higher programming costs (including retransmission consents and distribution requirements); •our ability to develop and deploy new products and technologies including consumer services and service platforms; •any events that disrupt our networks, information systems or properties and impair our operating activities or our reputation;•the effects of governmental regulation on our business including subsidies to consumers, subsidies and incentives for competitors, costs, disruptions and possible limitations on operating flexibility related to, and our ability to comply with, regulatory conditions applicable to us;•the ability to hire and retain key personnel;•our ability to procure necessary services and equipment from our vendors in a timely manner and at reasonable costs;•the availability and access, in general, of funds to meet our debt obligations prior to or when they become due and to fund our operations and necessary capital expenditures, either through (i) cash on hand, (ii) free cash flow, or (iii) access to the capital or credit markets; and•our ability to comply with all covenants in our indentures and credit facilities, any violation of which, if not cured in a timely manner, could trigger a default of our other obligations under cross-default provisions. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. We are under no duty or obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this annual report.iiPART IItem 1. Business. Introduction We are a leading broadband connectivity company and cable operator serving more than 32 million customers in 41 states through our Spectrum brand. Over an advanced high-capacity, two-way telecommunications network, we offer a full range of state-of-the-art residential and business services including Spectrum Internet®, TV, Mobile and Voice. For small and medium-sized companies, Spectrum Business® delivers the same suite of broadband products and services coupled with special features and applications to enhance productivity, while for larger businesses and government entities, Spectrum Enterprise™ provides highly customized, fiber-based solutions. Spectrum Reach® delivers tailored advertising and production for the modern media landscape. We also distribute award-winning news coverage and sports programming to our customers through Spectrum Networks. We also distribute award-winning news coverage, sports and high-quality original programming to our customers through Spectrum Networks and Spectrum Originals. Our network, which we own and operate, passes over an estimated 55 million households and businesses across the United States. Our network, which we own and operate, passes over 54 million households and small and medium businesses ("SMBs") across the United States. Our strategy is focused on the evolution of our network, expansion of our footprint, and the execution of high quality operations, including customer service. It allows us to maintain a state-of-the-art network delivering the most compelling converged connectivity services in a capital and time-efficient manner, and in turn, offer advanced services to consumers at highly attractive prices, together with outstanding customer service. Offering high quality, competitively priced products and outstanding service allows us to increase both the number of customers we serve over our fully deployed network and the number of products we sell to each customer. The combination of offering high quality, competitively priced products and outstanding service, allows us to both increase the number of customers we serve over our fully deployed network, and to increase the number of products we sell to each customer. This combination also reduces the number of service transactions we perform per relationship, yielding higher customer satisfaction and lower customer churn, which results in lower costs to acquire and serve customers and greater profitability. Evolution – Expanding the Capability of Our NetworkOver the next three years, we plan to evolve our hybrid fiber coaxial network using a number of technologies, including spectrum expansion, initially to 1.2 GHz and then to 1.8 GHz, high splits to increase upstream speeds, Distributed Access Architecture ("DAA") and DOCSIS 4.0 technology. Through this process, which we expect to essentially complete by year end 2025, we will transform our network to enable multi-gigabit data speeds to customers. Those faster speeds will be offered in conjunction with our Spectrum mobile product and Advanced WiFi, providing customers seamless and convenient, ultra-fast converged connectivity in attractively priced packages, including Spectrum One, introduced in October 2022. In addition, we expect our network evolution to enable us to offer fiber on demand across the majority of our footprint. We also offer a comprehensive video product, and Xumo, a next generation streaming platform jointly owned with Comcast Corporation ("Comcast"), will create an app-based video platform with the ability to provide streaming video packages, leverage our Spectrum TV® application, aggregate consumer streaming applications, and provide an industry leading voice search.Expansion – Building Our Future by Extending Our NetworkRural builds present strategic expansion opportunities of our footprint to unserved and underserved passings. Over the next several years, we expect to invest over $6 billion, a portion of which we expect to offset with government funding including over $1. We expect to invest over $5 billion over the next several years, a portion of which we expect to offset with government funding including $1. 7 billion of support awarded through December 31, 2022 in the Rural Development Opportunity Fund (“RDOF”) auction and other federal, state and municipal grants. We expect to participate in additional federal, state and municipal grant programs over the coming years. This investment will allow us to offer a suite of broadband connectivity services including fixed Internet, WiFi and mobile to more than one million estimated passings in unserved areas in states where we currently operate. We have also renewed our focus on building to more passings inside and at the edge of our existing network. To accomplish all of this, we have invested in new teams, new training and new equipment. These investments will allow us to generate long-term infrastructure-style returns by taking further advantage of the efficiencies of the scale and quality of our network and construction capabilities while offering our high quality products and services to more homes and businesses. These investments will allow us to generate long-term infrastructure-style returns by further taking advantage of the efficiencies of the scale and quality of our network and construction capabilities while offering our high quality products and services to more homes and businesses. Execution – Turning Our Strategy Into SuccessWe have competitive services and promote and package our services in ways that allow customers to have better products and save money. In addition, our focus on service quality complements our products and price. We improve the customer experience by digitizing service where customers prefer, performing proactive maintenance, and investing in systems and in our operations teams. As part of our investment in operations teams, we are making targeted adjustments to job structure, pay and benefits and career paths to improve the skills and tenure of our workforce. 1Our principal executive offices are located at 400 Washington Blvd.Our principal executive offices are located at 400 Washington Blvd. , Stamford, Connecticut 06902. Our telephone number is (203) 905-7801, and we have a website accessible at ir.charter.com.

Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments thereto, are available on our website free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after they have been filed. The information posted on our website is not incorporated into this annual report. 2Corporate Entity Structure The chart below sets forth our entity structure and that of our direct and indirect subsidiaries. The chart does not include all of our affiliates and subsidiaries and, in some cases, we have combined separate entities for presentation purposes. The equity ownership percentages shown below for Charter Communications Holdings, LLC (“Charter Holdings”) are approximations. The equity ownership percentages shown below are approximations. Indebtedness amounts shown below are principal amounts as of December 31, 2022. See Note 8 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements contained in “Part II. Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” which also includes the accreted values of the indebtedness described below.3FootprintWe operate in geographically diverse areas which are managed centrally on a consolidated level. 2FootprintWe operate in geographically diverse areas which are managed centrally on a consolidated level. The map below highlights our footprint along with our planned rural expansion over the next several years based on grants awarded as of December 31, 2022. Products and Services We offer our customers subscription-based Internet services, video services, and mobile and voice services. Our services are offered to residential and commercial customers on a subscription basis, with prices and related charges based on the types of service selected, whether the services are sold as a “bundle” or on an individual basis, and based on the equipment necessary to receive our services. Bundled services including some combination of our Internet, video, voice and/or mobile products are available to substantially all of our passings. 4The following table summarizes our customer statistics for Internet, video, voice and mobile as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 (in thousands except per customer data and footnotes). (a)We calculate the aging of customer accounts based on the monthly billing cycle for each account. On that basis, as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, customers include approximately 144,100 and 128,300 customers, respectively, whose accounts were over 60 days past due, approximately 52,800 and 26,800 customers, respectively, whose accounts were over 90 days past due, and approximately 214,100 and 43,200 customers, respectively, whose accounts were over 120 days past due. On that basis, as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, customers include approximately 150,700 and 168,400 customers, respectively, whose accounts were over 60 days past due, approximately 39,900 and 17,800 customers, respectively, whose accounts were over 90 days past due, and approximately 43,500 and 11,100 customers, respectively, whose accounts were over 120 days past due. Bad debt expense associated with these past due accounts has been reflected in our consolidated statements of operations. The increase in past due accounts is predominately due to pre-existing and incremental unsubsidized services, including video services, for those customers participating in government assistance programs. These customers are downgraded to a fully subsidized Internet-only service. (b)Customer relationships include the number of customers that receive one or more levels of service, encompassing Internet, video and voice services, without regard to which service(s) such customers receive. Customers who reside in residential multiple dwelling units (“MDUs”) and that are billed under bulk contracts are counted based on the number of billed units within each bulk MDU. Total customer relationships exclude enterprise and mobile-only customer relationships.(c)Monthly residential revenue per residential customer is calculated as total residential annual revenue divided by twelve divided by average residential customer relationships during the respective year and excludes mobile revenue and customers.(d)Monthly SMB revenue per SMB customer is calculated as total SMB annual revenue divided by twelve divided by average SMB customer relationships during the respective year and excludes mobile revenue and customers.5(e)Mobile lines include phones and tablets which require one of our standard rate plans (e.g., "Unlimited" or "By the Gig"). Mobile lines exclude wearables and other devices that do not require standard phone rate plans.(f)Enterprise PSUs represent the aggregate number of fiber service offerings counting each separate service offering at each customer location as an individual PSU.Residential ServicesConnectivity ServicesWe provide our customers with a suite of broadband connectivity services including fixed Internet, WiFi and mobile which when bundled together provides our customers with a differentiated converged connectivity experience while saving consumers and businesses money.4Residential ServicesConnectivity ServicesWe provide our customers with a suite of connectivity services including fixed Internet, WiFi and mobile Internet which when bundled together provides our customers with a differentiated Internet connectivity experience while saving consumers and businesses money. We offer Spectrum Internet products with speeds up to 1 Gbps across our entire footprint. Spectrum Internet bundled with our in-home Advanced WiFi allows multiple people within a single household to stream high definition (“HD”) video content while simultaneously using our Internet service for other purposes including two-way video conferencing, among other things. Our in-home WiFi product provides our Internet customers with high performance wireless routers and a managed WiFi service to maximize their wireless Internet experience. We also offer an in-home WiFi product that provides our Internet customers with high performance wireless routers and a managed WiFi service to maximize their fixed wireless Internet experience. We offer Advanced WiFi service across nearly all of our residential footprint along with WiFi 6 routers capable of delivering speeds over 1 Gbps. With Advanced WiFi, customers enjoy a cloud-optimized WiFi connection and have the ability to view and control their WiFi network through our Spectrum application (“My Spectrum App”). With AHW, customers enjoy a cloud-optimized WiFi connection and have the ability to view and control their WiFi network through our Spectrum application (“My Spectrum App”). The service enables parental control schedules to be set for children’s devices or limit access entirely to unknown devices attempting to access the network. Customers also have the option to add Spectrum WiFi pods to Advanced WiFi. WiFi pods are small, discreet access points that plug into electrical outlets in the home, providing broader and more consistent WiFi coverage. WiFi pods are small, discreet and powerful access points that plug into electrical outlets in the home, providing broader and more consistent WiFi coverage. In 2022, we began rolling out Spectrum Security Shield across the residential footprint which protects all devices in the home using network-based security. In 2022, we will begin rolling out Spectrum Security Shield across the residential footprint which protects all devices in the home using network-based security. This free security suite provides end point protection to computers in the home, enabling protection against computer viruses, spyware and threats from malicious actors across the Internet.We also offer the capabilities of the Advanced WiFi service to MDUs as Advanced Community WiFi (“ACW”). With ACW, tenants will receive the same visibility and control over their apartment’s WiFi networks through the My Spectrum App, while building managers will be able to see and manage the entire building’s network through a purpose-built property service portal. Our Spectrum Mobile service is offered to customers subscribing to our Internet service, and runs on Verizon Communications Inc. Our Spectrum Mobile service is offered to customers subscribing to our fixed Internet service, and runs on Verizon’s mobile network, combined with Spectrum WiFi. ’s ("Verizon") mobile network, combined with Spectrum WiFi. We offer nationwide fifth generation ("5G") service at no incremental cost to our mobile customers enabling them to stream content several times faster and reducing latency when connecting to apps or webpages where 5G coverage exists. We offer nationwide 5G service at no incremental cost to our mobile customers enabling them to stream content several times faster and reducing latency when connecting to apps or webpages where 5G coverage exists. In addition, we continue to focus on improving the customer experience and integrating our mobile and fixed Internet products, providing greater WiFi access, speeds and performance using more than 500,000 of our out-of-home WiFi access points across our footprint combined with approximately 25 million out-of-home WiFi access points from other networks with which we partner, providing near nationwide coverage. In addition, we continue to focus on improving the customer experience and integrating our mobile and fixed Internet products, providing greater WiFi access, speeds and performance using more than 500,000 of our out of home WiFi access points across our footprint combined with over 20 million out of home WiFi access points of our industry partners providing near nationwide coverage. In 2022, we launched an enhancement to our connectivity services with Spectrum Mobile Speed Boost at Home (“Speed Boost”). Customers are eligible for Speed Boost if they have both Spectrum Mobile and Spectrum Internet, a DOCSIS 3.1 modem and an Advanced WiFi router. When connected on their Spectrum Mobile device through their secure in-home WiFi private service set identifier (“SSID”), customers are now experiencing the fastest overall speeds up to 1 Gbps. The Spectrum Mobile SSID accelerates offload data from our mobile virtual network operator ("MVNO") cellular network to our own WiFi network and we expect it to be available across our footprint in 2023. We provide wireline voice communications services using voice over Internet protocol ("VoIP") technology to transmit digital voice signals over our network.We provide wireline voice communications services using voice over Internet protocol ("VoIP") technology to transmit digital voice signals over our network. Our voice services include unlimited local and long distance calling to the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico, voicemail, call waiting, caller ID, call forwarding and other features and offers international calling either by the minute, or through packages of minutes per month. For customers that subscribe to both our voice and video offerings, caller ID on TV is also available in most areas. We also offer Call Guard, an advanced caller ID and robocall blocking solution, for our residential and SMB voice customers. Call Guard reduces customer frustration and improves security by blocking malicious calls while ensuring our customers continue to receive the legitimate automated calls they need from schools or healthcare providers.6Video Services We provide our customers with a choice of video programming services on a variety of platforms including through a digital set-top box or an Internet Protocol ("IP") device. Video customers have access to a variety of programming packages with approximately 375 channels available in home and out of home allowing our customers to access the programming they want, when they want it, on any device. Video customers have access to a variety of programming packages with over 375 channels of in home and approximately 350 channels out of home allowing our customers to access the programming they want, when they want it, on any device. Our video customers also have access to programmer authenticated applications such as Fox Now, Showtime and ESPN and direct to consumer applications such as Netflix and YouTube on certain set-top boxes. In June 2022, we entered into a joint venture with Comcast to develop and offer a next-generation streaming platform, Xumo, with the ability to provide streaming video packages, leverage our Spectrum TV® application, aggregate consumer streaming applications, and provide an industry leading voice search, with the benefit of new revenue streams. Our video service also includes access to an interactive programming guide with parental controls and in virtually all of our footprint, video on demand (“VOD”) or pay-per-view services. VOD service allows customers to select from approximately 90,000 titles at any time. VOD service allows customers to select from approximately 80,000 titles at any time including original content which is exclusive for a period of time through Spectrum 5Originals such as Joe Pickett and Temple. VOD programming options may be accessed at no additional cost if the content is associated with a customer’s linear subscription, or for a fee on a transactional basis. VOD services are also offered on a subscription basis included in a digital tier premium channel subscription or for a monthly fee. Pay-per-view channels allow customers to pay on a per-event basis to view a single showing of a one-time special sporting event, music concert, or similar event on a commercial-free basis. We also offer digital video recorder (“DVR”) service that enables customers to digitally record programming and to pause and rewind live programming on set-top boxes and cloud DVR service, which allows customers to schedule, record and watch their favorite programming anytime from connected IP devices as well as SpectrumTV.com. Customers are increasingly accessing their subscription video content through our highly rated Spectrum TV application via mobile devices and connected IP devices, such as Roku, Xumo TV and Samsung TV. Customers are increasingly accessing their subscription video content through our highly rated Spectrum TV® application via connected IP devices via our IP network. Access to the Spectrum TV application is included in all Spectrum TV video plans and allows users to stream content across a growing number of platforms as well as access their full TV lineup, watch on demand content and gives them the ability to program their DVR from anywhere. Access to the Spectrum TV application is included in all Spectrum TV video plans and allows users to stream content across a growing number of platforms as well as accessing their full TV lineup, watching on demand content and the ability to program their DVR from anywhere. Customers are also able to purchase their video services within the Spectrum TV application.Commercial Services We offer scalable broadband communications solutions for businesses and carrier organizations of all sizes, selling Internet access, data networking, fiber connectivity to cellular towers and office buildings, video entertainment services and business telephone services. Small and Medium BusinessSpectrum Business offers Internet, voice and video services to SMBs over our hybrid fiber coaxial network. In addition, we offer our Spectrum Mobile service to SMB customers. Spectrum Business includes a full range of video programming and offers Internet speeds up to 1 Gbps across our entire footprint. Spectrum Business includes a full range of video programming and entry-level Internet speeds of 200 Mbps downstream and 10 Mbps upstream in virtually all of our markets. Spectrum Business also includes a set of business services including static IP and business WiFi, e-mail and security, and voice services through either a traditional voice offering or hosted voice solution. Spectrum Business also includes a set of business services including static IP and business WiFi, e-mail and security, and multi-line telephone services with more than 35 business features including web-based service management, that are generally not available to residential customers. In December 2022, we launched Spectrum Business Connect with RingCentral as our new SMB communications solution that includes Spectrum Internet, voice and complementary mobility features, and allows our customers’ remote and office employees to stay more easily connected regardless of their location. We also offer Wireless Internet Backup to our SMB customers which is designed to enhance and protect Internet service for SMBs in the event of a network disruption. Enterprise Spectrum Enterprise offers tailored communications products and managed service solutions over a high-capacity last-mile network with speeds up to 100 Gbps to larger businesses and government entities (local, state and federal), in addition to wholesale services to mobile and wireline carriers. Enterprise Spectrum Enterprise offers tailored communications products and managed service solutions to larger businesses and government entities (local, state and federal), as well as high-capacity last-mile network connectivity services to mobile and wireline carriers on a wholesale basis. The Spectrum Enterprise product portfolio includes connectivity services such as Internet Access (fiber, wireless and coax delivered); Wide Area Network ("WAN") solutions (Ethernet, Software Defined (“SD”)-WAN and cloud connectivity) that privately and securely connect geographically dispersed customer locations and cloud service providers; and Managed Services which address a wide range of enterprise networking (e. The Spectrum Enterprise product portfolio includes connectivity services such as Internet Access (fiber, wireless and coax delivered); Wide Area Network ("WAN") solutions (Ethernet, SD-WAN and cloud connectivity) that privately and securely connect geographically dispersed customer locations and cloud service providers; and Managed Services which address a wide range of enterprise networking (e. g. routing, Local Area Network (“LAN”), WiFi) and security (e.g. firewall, Distributed Denial of Service (“DDoS”) protection) challenges. To meet the communications needs of these more sophisticated customers, Spectrum Enterprise also offers an array of voice trunking services and unified messaging, communications and collaboration solutions. In December 2022, we launched Unified Communications with RingCentral, which integrates Spectrum Enterprise’s managed services to complement its other solutions and gives customers more choices for enhancing their digital experience across locations and devices. In addition, for 7industries such as hospitality, education and healthcare where specialized video solutions are demanded, Spectrum Enterprise offers a wide range of solutions designed to meet those requirements. In addition, for industries such as hospitality, education and healthcare where specialized video solutions are demanded, Spectrum Enterprise offers a wide range of solutions designed to meet those requirements. Spectrum Enterprise serves businesses nationally by combining its large serviceable footprint with a robust portfolio of fiber lit buildings and a significant wholesale partner network. As a result, these customers benefit by obtaining advanced solutions from a single provider who is committed to an exceptional customer experience and who delivers compelling value by simplifying procurement and offering competitive pricing potentially reducing our customers' costs.Advertising ServicesOur advertising sales division, Spectrum Reach, offers local, regional and national businesses the opportunity to advertise in individual and multiple service areas on cable television networks, various streaming services and numerous advanced advertising platforms. We receive revenues from the sale of local advertising across various platforms for networks such as TBS, CNN and ESPN. We receive revenues from the sale of local advertising across various platforms for networks such as TBS, CNN and ESPN and on our Spectrum TV application. We insert local advertising on up to 100 channels in over 90 markets. Our large footprint provides opportunities for advertising customers to address broader regional audiences from a single provider and thus reach more customers with a single transaction. Our size also provides scale to invest in new technology to create more targeted and addressable advertising capabilities. Available advertising time is generally sold by our advertising sales force. In some service areas, we have formed advertising interconnects or entered into representation agreements with other video distributors, including, among others, Verizon, DirecTV and Comcast, under which we sell advertising on behalf of those operators. In some service areas, we have formed advertising interconnects or entered into representation agreements with other video distributors, including, among others, Verizon, AT&T Inc. In other service areas, we enter into representation agreements under which another operator in the area will sell advertising on our behalf. These arrangements enable us and our partners to represent and deliver commercials on their inventory across wider geographic areas, replicating the reach of local broadcast television stations to the extent possible. These arrangements enable us and our partners to deliver linear commercials across wider geographic areas, replicating the reach of local broadcast television stations to the extent possible. In addition, we enter into interconnect agreements from time to time with other cable operators, which, on behalf of a number of video operators, sells advertising time to national and regional advertisers in individual or multiple service areas.Additionally, we sell the advertising inventory of our owned and operated local sports and news channels, of our regional sports networks that carry Los Angeles Lakers’ basketball games and other sports programming and of SportsNet LA, a regional sports network that carries Los Angeles Dodgers’ baseball games and other sports programming.In 2022, we expanded our deployment of household addressability ("HHA"), which allows for more precise targeting across our footprint.In 2021, we continued to expand our deployment of household addressability ("HHA"), which allows for more precise targeting within various parts of our footprint. Additionally, in conjunction with other MVPDs, Spectrum Reach enables multi-channel cable networks (e. Additionally, in conjunction with other MVPDs, Spectrum Reach enables affiliated cable networks to deploy HHA on their own inventory in our footprint, charging them an enablement fee. g. AMC, Discovery) to deploy HHA on their own inventory in our footprint, charging them an enablement fee. We also continue to further enhance our Ad Portal, which allows small businesses to purchase local cable advertising and/or creative services via our web portal with limited sales personnel interaction at a price within their budgets. We also continue to further enhance our Ad Portal, which allows small businesses to purchase local cable advertising and/or creative services via our web portal with no sales personnel interaction at a price within their budgets. Our fully deployed Audience App, which uses our proprietary set-top box viewership data (all anonymized and aggregated), allows us to create data-driven linear TV campaigns for local advertisers. In 2022, Spectrum Reach launched its first programmatic sales platform allowing advertising agencies and advertisers to buy inventory in a fully automated way. Streaming TV, which is largely comprised of Spectrum TV application impressions, as well as those from numerous over-the-top streaming content providers, is part of our suite of advanced advertising products available to the marketplace. Spectrum Reach is also now employing multi-screen deterministic attribution services for television and streaming services that lets advertisers know the effectiveness of their advertising on Spectrum Reach’s platform. Finally, Spectrum Reach is now employing multi-screen deterministic attribution services for television and streaming services that lets advertisers know the effectiveness of their advertising on Spectrum Reach’s platform. Other ServicesRegional Sports Networks We have an agreement with the Los Angeles Lakers for rights to distribute all locally available Los Angeles Lakers’ games through 2033. We broadcast those games on our regional sports network, Spectrum SportsNet. American Media Productions, LLC ("American Media Productions"), an unaffiliated third party, owns SportsNet LA, a regional sports network carrying the Los Angeles Dodgers’ baseball games and other sports programming. In accordance with agreements with American Media Productions, we act as the network’s exclusive affiliate and advertising sales representative and have certain branding and programming rights with respect to the network. In addition, we provide certain production and technical services to American Media Productions. The affiliate, advertising, production and programming agreements continue through 2038. We also own 26.8% of Sterling Entertainment Enterprises, LLC (doing business as SportsNet New York), a New York City-based regional sports network that carries New York Mets’ baseball games as well as other regional sports programming.8News ChannelsWe own and manage 37 local news channels, including Spectrum News NY1® and Spectrum News SoCal, 24-hour news channels focused on New York City and Los Angeles, respectively. Our local news channels connect the diverse communities and neighborhoods we serve providing 24/7 hyperlocal content, focusing on news, programming and storytelling that addresses the deeper needs and interests of our customers. Customers can also read, watch and listen to news stories by our Spectrum News journalists and local partner publications on their mobile device on our Spectrum News application and certain smart TVs and streaming devices.Pricing of Our Products and Services Our revenues are principally derived from the monthly fees customers pay for the services we provide. We typically charge a one-time installation fee which is sometimes waived or discounted in certain sales channels during certain promotional periods. Our Spectrum pricing and packaging ("SPP") generally offers a standardized price across our services and add-on services allowing customers to design a bundle offering that fits their needs. Our Spectrum pricing and packaging ("SPP") generally offers a standardized price for each tier of service, bundle of services, and add-on service in a service area. We believe SPP:•offers a higher quality and more value-based set of services relative to our competitors, including fast Internet speeds, hundreds of HD channels and a transparent pricing structure;•offers simplicity for customers to understand our offers, and for our employees in service delivery;•drives our ability to package more services at the time of sale, thus increasing revenue per customer;•drives higher customer satisfaction, lower service calls and churn; and•allows for gradual price increases at the end of promotional periods.We also have specialized offerings to enhance affordability of our Internet product for qualified low-income households, including Spectrum Internet Assist, a 30 megabits per second ("Mbps") service, and Internet 100, a 100 Mbps service.We also have specialized offerings to enhance affordability of our Internet product for qualified low-income households which include our Spectrum Internet Assist product which offers a 30 Mbps service and a free modem for a low cost. Both are low cost and include a modem for no additional charge. In addition, many of our customers are eligible for a subsidy through the Federal Communications Commission's ("FCC") Affordable Connectivity Program ("ACP") which provides eligible low-income households with up to $30 per month towards Internet service.In October 2022, we introduced Spectrum One, which brings together in a high-value package, Spectrum Internet, Advanced WiFi and Unlimited Spectrum Mobile, offering consumers fast, reliable and secure online connections on their favorite devices at home and on-the-go. Alternatively, our mobile customers can choose one of two simple ways to pay for data. Customers can choose from unlimited or by-the-gig data usage plans and can easily switch between mobile data plans during the month. All plans include 5G service, free nationwide talk and text, and simple pricing that includes all taxes and fees. Customers can also purchase mobile devices and accessory products and have the option to pay for devices under interest-free monthly installment plans. Our device portfolio includes 5G models from Apple, Google and Samsung and we offer trade-in options along with a bring-your-own-device (“BYOD”) program which lowers the costs for our customers switching to Spectrum Mobile from other mobile operators. Our Network Technology Our network includes three key components: a national backbone, regional/metro networks and a “last-mile” network. Both our national backbone and regional/metro network components utilize a redundant IP ring/mesh fiber architecture. The national backbone component provides connectivity from regional demarcation points to nationally centralized content, connectivity and services. The regional/metro network components provide connectivity between the regional demarcation points and headends within a specific geographic area and enable the delivery of content and services between these network components.Our last-mile network utilizes a hybrid fiber coaxial cable (“HFC”) architecture, which combines the use of fiber optic cable with coaxial cable. In most systems, we deliver our signals via fiber optic cable from the headend to a group of nodes, and use coaxial cable to deliver the signal from individual nodes to the homes served by that node. Our design standard allows spare fiber strands to each node to be utilized for additional residential traffic capacity, and enterprise customer needs as they arise. For our Spectrum Enterprise customers, fiber optic cable is extended to the customer’s site. For our Spectrum Enterprise customers, fiber optic cable is extended to the customer’s site. For certain new buildouts, including for our rural construction initiative, and MDU sites, we utilize a fiber deployment. We believe that this hybrid network design provides high capacity and signal quality with a cost efficient path to increased speeds. 9HFC architecture benefits include: •bandwidth capacity to enable traditional and two-way video and broadband services;•dedicated bandwidth for delivering two-way services, signal quality and higher service reliability, which provides an advantage over fixed wireless offerings; •the ability to upgrade capacity at a lower incremental capital cost relative to our competitors; and•a powered network enabling Advanced WiFi out-of-home and our future 5G small cell access points. HFC architecture benefits include: •bandwidth capacity to enable traditional and two-way video and broadband services;•dedicated bandwidth for two-way services; •signal quality and high service reliability; •a powered network enabling WiFi and our future 5G small cell access points; and•the ability to upgrade capacity at a lower incremental capital cost relative to our competitors. Our systems currently provide a two-way all-digital platform, leveraging DOCSIS 3. Our systems provide a two-way all-digital platform, leveraging DOCSIS 3. 1 technology and bandwidth of 750 megahertz or greater, to virtually all of our estimated passings.1 technology and bandwidth of 750 megahertz or greater, to approximately 100% of our estimated passings. This bandwidth-rich network enables us to offer a large selection of HD channels and Spectrum Internet Gig across all of our footprint which enables us to provide fast, reliable and secure online connections and meet nearly all current residential customer demands today. This bandwidth-rich network enables us to offer a large selection of HD channels and Spectrum Internet Gig and encrypted signals facilitate self-installs resulting in lower installation costs and truck rolls. Over the next three years, we intend to deploy network enhancements to upgrade our footprint initially expanding our spectrum to 1.2 Ghz through a module upgrade in the hub, node and amplifier and using high splits to deliver multi-gig speed capabilities while using the current DOCSIS 3.1 customer premise equipment. Later, we will continue to expand our spectrum to 1.2 Ghz but will use DAA to deliver even faster speeds when using the next generation of DOCSIS modem, DOCSIS 4.0. Next, we will begin to deploy DOCSIS 4.0 technology, to further increase our spectrum to 1.8 Ghz enabling even higher speed capabilities. This network evolution will also allow us to extend fiber services to the home in a success based “Fiber on Demand” manner and is the technology currently deployed in our rural fiber buildouts. We plan to complement our wireline investments with planned WiFi upgrades for in-home routers. With nearly 500 million devices connected wirelessly to our network in our customer's homes and businesses, we will unlock our network investments for multi-gigabit speeds through the deployment of WiFi 6E in 2023. We own 210 Citizen Broadband Radio Service ("CBRS") Priority Access Licenses ("PALs") and intend to use these licenses along with unlicensed CBRS spectrum to build our own 5G data-only mobile network on targeted 5G small cell sites leveraging our HFC network to provide power and data connectivity to the majority of the sites. These 5G small cells, combined with growing WiFi capabilities, increase speed and reliability along with improving our cost structure through offload onto our owned networks. These 5G small cells, combined with improving WiFi capabilities, increase speed and reliability along 8with improving our cost structure. In 2022, we began a trial of the 5G network, which will inform our deployment plan for 5G small cell sites, as part of our broader multi-year 5G mobile network buildout, based on disciplined cost reduction targets.Rural Construction InitiativeIn 2022, we continued our rural broadband construction initiative in which we intend to expand our network to offer a suite of broadband connectivity services including fixed Internet, WiFi and mobile to more than one million estimated passings in unserved areas in states where we currently operate. We expect to invest over $6 billion over the next several years, a portion of which we expect to offset with government funding including over $1.7 billion of support awarded through December 31, 2022 in the RDOF auction and other federal, state and municipal grants, and we expect to participate in additional federal, state and municipal grant programs over the coming years. In addition to construction in areas subsidized by various government grants, we expect to continue rural construction in areas near our current plant and in areas surrounding subsidized construction where synergies can be achieved. In addition to construction in areas subsidized by various government grants, which could be material, we expect to continue rural construction in areas near our current plant and in areas surrounding subsidized construction where synergies can be achieved. These investments will allow us to generate long-term infrastructure-style returns by further taking advantage of the efficiencies of the scale and quality of our network and construction capabilities while offering our high quality products and services to more homes and businesses. We expect these newly-served homes will be enabled to engage in distance learning, remote work, telemedicine and other bandwidth-heavy applications that require high speed broadband connectivity. Newly-served rural areas will also benefit from our high-value SPP structure including our voice and mobile offerings, as well as our comprehensive selection of video products. The successful and timely execution of such fiber-based construction is dependent on a variety of external factors, including the make-ready and utility pole permitting processes. With fewer homes and businesses in these areas, broadband providers need to access multiple poles per home, as opposed to multiple homes per pole in higher-density settings. As a result, pole applications, pole replacement rules and their affiliated issue resolution processes are all factors that can have a significant impact on construction timing and speed to completion. The RDOF auction rules and other subsidy grants establish construction milestones for the build-out utilizing subsidized funding. Failure to meet those milestones could subject us to financial penalties. Failure to meet those milestones could subject the company to financial penalties. Management, Customer Operations and Marketing Our operations are centralized, with senior executives responsible for coordinating and overseeing operations, including establishing company-wide strategies, policies and procedures. Sales and marketing, field operations, customer operations, network operations, engineering, advertising sales, human resources, legal, government relations, information technology and finance are all directed at the corporate level. Regional and local field operations are responsible for customer premise service transactions and maintaining and constructing that portion of our network which is located outdoors. Our field operations 10strategy includes completing a significant portion of our activity with our employees which we find drives consistent and higher quality services. In 2022, our in-house field operations workforce handled approximately 80% of our customer premise service transactions. We continue to focus on improving the customer experience through enhanced product offerings, reliability of services, and delivery of quality customer service. As part of our operating strategy, we insource most of our customer operations workload. Our in-house call centers handle nearly all of our total customer service calls. We manage our customer service call centers centrally to ensure a consistent, high quality customer experience. In addition, we route calls by call type to specific agents that only handle such call types, enabling agents to become experts in addressing specific customer needs, creating a better customer experience. Service from our call centers continues to become more efficient as a result of new tool enhancements that give our front-line customer service agents more context and real-time information about the customer and their services which allows them to more effectively troubleshoot and resolve issues. Our call center agent desktop interface tool enables virtualization of all call centers thereby better serving our customers. Virtualization allows calls to be routed across our call centers regardless of the location origin of the call, reducing call wait times, and saving costs. We also provide customers with the opportunity to interact with us in the manner they choose through self-service options on our customer website and mobile device application, or via telephonic communication, online chat and social media. We also provide customers with the opportunity to interact with us in the manner they choose through self-service options on our customer website and mobile device applications, or via telephonic communication, online chat and social media. Our customer websites and mobile applications enable customers to pay their bills, manage their accounts, order and activate new services and utilize self-service help and support. In addition, our self-install program has been beneficial for customers who need flexibility in the timing of their installation.We sell our residential and commercial services using national brand platforms known as Spectrum, Spectrum Business, Spectrum Enterprise and Spectrum Reach. These brands reflect our comprehensive approach to industry-leading products, driven by speed, performance and innovation. Our marketing strategy emphasizes the sale of our bundled services through targeted direct response marketing programs to existing and potential customers, and increases awareness and the value of the Spectrum brand. Our marketing organization creates and executes marketing programs intended to grow customer relationships, increase the number of services we sell per relationship, retain existing customers and cross-sell additional products to current customers. We monitor the effectiveness of our marketing efforts, customer perception, competition, pricing, and service preferences, among other factors, in order to increase our responsiveness to our customers and to improve our sales and customer retention. The marketing organization manages all residential and SMB sales channels including inbound, direct sales, on-line, outbound telemarketing and stores.Programming We believe that offering a wide variety of video programming choices influences a customer’s decision to subscribe to and retain our cable video services. We obtain basic and premium programming, usually pursuant to written contracts from a number of suppliers. Media corporation and broadcast station group consolidation has, however, resulted in fewer suppliers and additional selling power on the part of programming suppliers. Programming is usually made available to us for a license fee, which is generally paid based on the number of customers to whom we make that programming available. Programming license fees may include “volume” discounts and other financial incentives and/or ongoing marketing support, as well as discounts for channel placement or service penetration. Programming license fees may include “volume” discounts and financial incentives to support the launch of a channel and/or ongoing marketing support, as well as discounts for channel placement or service penetration. For home shopping channels, we typically receive a percentage of the revenue attributable to our customers’ purchases. We also offer VOD and pay-per-view channels of movies and events that are subject to a revenue split with the content provider. CompetitionResidential ServicesWe face intense competition for residential customers, both from existing competitors and, as a result of the rapid development of new technologies, services and products, from new entrants. Internet CompetitionOur residential Internet service faces competition across our footprint from fiber-to-the-home ("FTTH"), fixed wireless broadband, Internet delivered via satellite and DSL services. Internet CompetitionOur residential Internet service faces competition across our footprint from fiber-to-the-home ("FTTH"), fiber-to-the-node ("FTTN"), fixed wireless broadband, Internet delivered via satellite and DSL services. AT&T Inc. ("AT&T"), Frontier Communications Corporation (“Frontier”) and Verizon are our primary FTTH competitors. Given the FTTH deployments of our competitors, launches of broadband services offering 1 Gbps speed have recently grown. Several competitors, including AT&T, Frontier, Verizon, 11WideOpenWest, Inc. Several competitors, including AT&T, Frontier's FiOS, Verizon's Fios, WideOpenWest, Inc. ("WOW") and Google Fiber, deliver 1 Gbps broadband speed (and some deliver multi Gbps) in at least a portion of their footprints which overlap our footprint. ("WOW") and Google Fiber, deliver 1 Gbps broadband speed (and some delivering 2 Gbps) in at least a portion of their footprints which overlap our footprint. Additionally, several national mobile network operators offer Long Term Evolution (“LTE”) or 5G delivered fixed wireless home Internet service in our markets. Additionally, several mobile network operators offer Long Term Evolution (“LTE”) or 5G delivered fixed wireless home Internet service in an increasing number of our markets. In several markets, we also face competition from one or more fixed wireless providers that deliver point-to-point Internet connectivity. In several markets, we also face competition from one or more fixed wireless providers which deliver point-to-point Internet connectivity, although generally in areas limited to residential MDUs. DSL service is offered across our footprint often at prices lower than our Internet services, although typically at speeds much lower than the minimum speeds we offer as part of SPP. In addition, a growing number of commercial areas, such as retail malls, restaurants and airports, offer WiFi Internet service. Numerous local governments are also considering or actively pursuing publicly subsidized WiFi Internet access networks. These options offer alternatives to cable-based Internet access. We face terrestrial broadband Internet (defined as at least 25 Mbps) competition from three primary competitors, AT&T, Frontier and Verizon, in approximately 35%, 11% and 5% of our operating footprint, respectively. We face terrestrial broadband Internet (defined as at least 25 Mbps) competition from three primary competitors, AT&T, Frontier and Verizon in approximately 34%, 9% and 5% of our operating areas, respectively. Video CompetitionOur residential video service faces competition from DBS service providers, which have a national footprint and compete in all of our operating areas.Video CompetitionOur residential video service faces competition from DBS service providers, which have a national footprint and compete in all of our operating areas. DBS providers offer satellite-delivered pre-packaged programming services that can be received by relatively small and inexpensive receiving dishes. DBS providers offer aggressive promotional pricing, exclusive programming and video services that are comparable in many respects to our residential video service. DBS providers offer aggressive promotional pricing, exclusive programming (e. Our residential video service also faces competition from large telecommunications companies, primarily Verizon, which offer wireline video services in significant portions of our operating areas. Our residential video service also faces competition from large telecommunications companies, primarily Frontier FiOS and Verizon Fios, which offer wireline video services in significant portions of our operating areas. Our residential video service also faces growing competition across our footprint from a number of other sources, including companies that deliver linear network programming, movies and television shows on demand and other video content over broadband Internet connections to televisions, computers, tablets and mobile devices. These competitors include virtual multichannel video programming distributors (“vMVPDs”) such as Hulu Live, YouTube TV, Sling TV, Philo and DirecTV Stream. These competitors include virtual multichannel video programming distributors (“V-MVPDs”) such as Hulu Live, YouTube TV, Sling TV, Philo and DirecTV Stream. Other online video business models and products have also developed, some offered by programmers that have not traditionally sold programming directly to consumers, including, (i) subscription video on demand (“SVOD”) services such as Netflix, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus, Disney+, HBO Max, Peacock, Paramount+, AMC+, Starz and Showtime Anytime, (ii) ad-supported free online video products, including YouTube and Pluto TV, some of which offer programming for free to consumers that we currently purchase for a fee, (iii) pay-per-view products, such as iTunes, and (iv) additional offerings from mobile providers which continue to integrate and bundle video services and mobile products. Historically, we have generally viewed SVOD online video services as complementary to our own video offering. Historically, we have generally viewed SVOD online video services as complementary to our own video offering, and we have developed a cloud-based guide that is capable of incorporating video from online video services currently offered in the marketplace. As the proliferation of online video services grows, however, services from vMVPDs and direct to consumer offerings, as well as piracy and password sharing, negatively impact the number of customers purchasing our video product. As the proliferation of online video services grows, however, services from V-MVPDs and direct to consumer offerings, as well as piracy and password sharing, negatively impact the number of customers purchasing our video product. Voice CompetitionOur residential voice service competes with wireless and wireline phone providers across our footprint, as well as other forms of communication, such as text messaging on cellular phones, instant messaging, social networking services, video conferencing and email. We also compete with “over-the-top” phone providers, such as Vonage, Skype, magicJack, Google Voice and Ooma, Inc., as well as companies that sell phone cards at a cost per minute for both national and international service. The increase in the number of different technologies capable of carrying voice services and the number of alternative communication options available to customers as well as the replacement of wireline services by wireless have intensified the competitive environment in which we operate our residential voice service. Mobile CompetitionOur mobile service faces competition from national mobile network operators including AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile US, Inc. ("T-Mobile"), fixed wireless providers, as well as a variety of regional operators and mobile virtual network operators. ("T-Mobile"), as well as a variety of regional operators and mobile virtual network operators. Most carriers offer unlimited data packages to customers while some also offer free devices. Most carriers offer unlimited data packages to customers. Various operators also offer wireless Internet services delivered over networks which they continue to enhance to deliver faster speeds. AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile continue to expand 5G mobile services. Additionally, in connection with Dish Network Corporation’s acquisition of Sprint Corporation’s (“Sprint”) prepaid mobile services businesses, the FCC and Department of Justice ("DOJ") have imposed a timeline on Dish Network Corporation (70% by June 2023) for 5G network development and expansion. We also compete for retail activations with other resellers that buy bulk wholesale service from wireless service providers for resale. 12Regional CompetitorsIn some of our operating areas, other competitors have built networks that offer Internet, video and voice services that compete with our services. For example, in certain service areas, our residential Internet, video and voice services compete with WOW, altafiber, Google Fiber and Astound Broadband. For example, in certain service areas, our residential Internet, video and voice services compete with WOW, Cincinnati Bell Inc. Additional CompetitionIn addition to multi-channel video providers, cable systems compete with other sources of news, information and entertainment, including over-the-air television broadcast reception, live events, movie theaters and the Internet. Competition is also posed by fixed wireless and satellite master antenna television ("SMATV") systems serving MDUs, such as condominiums, apartment complexes, and private residential communities. Business ServicesWe face intense competition across each of our business services product offerings. Our SMB Internet, video and voice services face competition from a variety of providers as described above. Our enterprise solutions also face competition from the competitors described above as well as cloud-based application-service providers, managed service providers and other telecommunications carriers, such as metro and regional fiber-based carriers. AdvertisingWe face intense competition for advertising revenue across many different platforms and from a wide range of local and national competitors. Advertising competition has increased and will likely continue to increase as new advertising platforms seek to attract the same advertisers. We compete for advertising revenue against, among others, local broadcast stations, national cable and broadcast networks, radio stations, print media and online advertising companies and content providers.Seasonality and Cyclicality Our business is subject to seasonal and cyclical variations. Our results are impacted by the seasonal nature of customers receiving our cable services in college and vacation service areas. Our revenue is subject to cyclical advertising patterns and changes in viewership levels. Our advertising revenue is generally higher in the second and fourth calendar quarters of each year, due in part to increases in consumer advertising in the spring and in the period leading up to and including the holiday season. U.S. advertising revenue is also cyclical, benefiting in even-numbered years from advertising related to candidates running for political office and issue-oriented advertising. Our capital expenditures and trade working capital are also subject to significant seasonality based on the timing of subscriber growth, network programs, specific projects and construction. Regulation and Legislation The following summary addresses the key regulatory and legislative developments affecting the cable industry and our services for both residential and commercial customers. Cable systems and related communications networks and services are extensively regulated by the federal government (primarily the FCC), certain state governments and many local governments. A failure to comply with these regulations could subject us to substantial penalties. Our business can be dramatically impacted by changes to the existing regulatory framework, whether triggered by legislative, administrative, or judicial rulings. Congress and the FCC have frequently revisited the subject of communications regulation and they are likely to do so again in the future. We could be materially disadvantaged in the future if we are subject to new laws, regulations or regulatory actions that do not equally impact our key competitors. For example, Internet-delivered streaming video services compete with our traditional video service, but they are not subject to the same level of federal, state, and local regulation. We cannot provide assurance that the already extensive regulation of our business will not be expanded in the future. In addition, through May 2023, we are subject to Charter-specific conditions regarding certain business practices as a result of the FCC’s approval of the merger in 2016 with Time Warner Cable Inc. In addition, we are subject to Charter-specific conditions regarding certain business practices as a result of the FCC’s approval of the merger in 2016 with Time Warner Cable Inc. (“TWC”) and acquisition of Bright House Networks, LLC (“Bright House”).Video ServiceMust Carry/Retransmission ConsentThere are two alternative legal methods for carriage of local broadcast television stations on cable systems. Federal “must carry” regulations require cable systems to carry local broadcast television stations upon the request of the local broadcaster. 13Alternatively, federal law includes “retransmission consent” regulations, by which popular commercial television stations can prohibit cable carriage unless the cable operator first negotiates for “retransmission consent,” which may be conditioned on significant payments or other concessions. Popular stations routinely invoke “retransmission consent” and demand substantial compensation increases in their negotiations with cable operators, thereby significantly increasing our operating costs.Pole AttachmentsThe Communications Act of 1934, as amended (the “Communications Act”), requires many investor-owned utilities owning utility poles to provide cable systems with access to poles and conduits and also subjects the rates charged for this access to either federal or state regulation.Pole AttachmentsThe Communications Act of 1934, as amended (the "Communications Act") requires most utilities owning utility poles to provide cable systems with access to poles and conduits and also subjects the rates charged for this access to either federal or state regulation. The federally regulated rates now applicable to pole attachments used for cable or telecommunications services, including when offered together with Internet service, are substantially similar. The FCC's approach does not directly affect the rate in states that self-regulate, but many of those states have substantially the same rate for all communications attachments. We sometimes face challenges getting access to poles in rural areas when the FCC pole attachment rules do not apply.Other FCC Regulatory MattersThe Communications Act and FCC regulations cover a variety of additional areas applicable to our video services, including, among other things: (1) licensing of systems and facilities, including the grant of various spectrum licenses; (2) equal employment opportunity obligations; (3) customer service standards; (4) technical standards; (5) mandatory blackouts of certain network and syndicated programming; (6) restrictions on political advertising; (7) restrictions on advertising in children’s programming; (8) ownership restrictions; (9) posting of certain information on an FCC “public file” website, including but not limited to political advertising records, equal employment opportunity practices, compliance with children’s programming requirements, policies for commercial leased access, system information, and channel carriage information including disclosure of our ownership interests in channels we carry; (10) emergency alert systems; (11) inside wiring and contracts for MDU complexes; (12) accessibility of content, including requirements governing video-description and closed-captioning; (13) competitive availability of cable equipment; (14) the provision of up to 15% of video channel capacity for commercial leased access by unaffiliated third parties; and (15) public, education and government entity access requirements.Other FCC Regulatory MattersThe Communications Act and FCC regulations cover a variety of additional areas applicable to our video services, including, among other things: (1) licensing of systems and facilities, including the grant of various spectrum licenses; (2) equal employment opportunity obligations; (3) customer service standards; (4) technical service standards; (5) mandatory blackouts of certain network and syndicated programming; (6) restrictions on political advertising; (7) restrictions on advertising in children’s programming; (8) ownership restrictions; (9) maintenance of public files; (10) emergency alert systems; (11) inside wiring and exclusive contracts for MDU complexes; (12) disability access, including requirements governing video-description and closed-captioning; (13) competitive availability of cable equipment; (14) the provision of up to 15% of video channel capacity for commercial leased access by unaffiliated third parties; (15) public, education and government entity access requirements; and (16) cable rate regulation. Each of these regulations restricts our business practices to varying degrees and may impose additional costs on our operations. The FCC regulates spectrum usage in ways that could impact our operations including for microwave backhaul, broadcast, unlicensed WiFi and CBRS. Our ability to access and use spectrum that may become available in the future is uncertain and may be limited by further FCC auction or allocation decisions. New spectrum obtained by other parties could also lead to additional wireless competition to our existing and future services.It is possible that Congress or the FCC will expand or modify its regulation of cable systems or the services delivered over cable systems and competing services in the future, and we cannot predict at this time how that might impact our business.CopyrightThe carriage of television and radio broadcast signals by cable systems are subject to a federal compulsory copyright license. The copyright law provides copyright owners the right to audit our payments under the compulsory license, and the Copyright Office is currently considering modifications to the license’s royalty calculations and reporting obligations. The possible modification or elimination of this license is the subject of continuing legislative proposals and administrative review and could adversely affect our ability to obtain desired broadcast programming.Franchise MattersOur cable systems generally are operated pursuant to nonexclusive franchises, permits, and similar authorizations granted by a municipality or other state or local government entity in order to utilize and cross public rights-of-way. Cable franchises generally are granted for fixed terms and in many cases include monetary penalties for noncompliance and may be terminable if the franchisee fails to comply. The specific terms and conditions of cable franchises vary significantly between jurisdictions. They generally contain provisions governing cable operations, franchise fees, system construction, maintenance, technical performance, customer service standards, supporting and carrying public, education and government access channels, and changes in the ownership of the franchisee. They generally contain provisions governing cable operations, franchise fees, system construction, maintenance, technical performance, customer service standards, supporting and carrying public access channels, and changes in the ownership of the franchisee. Although local franchising authorities have considerable discretion in establishing franchise terms, certain federal protections benefit cable operators. For example, federal law imposes a cap on franchise fees of 5% of gross revenues from the provision of cable services over the cable system. In 2019, the FCC 14clarified that the value of in-kind contribution requirements set forth in cable franchises is subject to the statutory cap on franchise fees, and it reaffirmed that state and local authorities are barred from imposing franchise fees on revenues derived from non-cable services, such as Internet services, provided by cable operators over cable systems. In 2019, the FCC clarified that the value of in-kind contribution requirements set forth in cable franchises is subject to the statutory cap on franchise fees, and it reaffirmed that state and local authorities are barred from imposing franchise fees on non-cable services, such as Internet services, provided by cable operators over cable systems. Those rules were generally upheld by a federal court in 2021. A number of states have adopted franchising laws that provide for state-issued franchising. A number of states have adopted franchising laws that provide for statewide franchising. Generally, state-issued cable franchises are for a fixed term (or in perpetuity), streamline many of the traditional local cable franchise requirements and eliminate local negotiation and enforcement of terms. Generally, state-wide cable franchises are issued for a fixed term, streamline many of the traditional local cable franchise requirements and eliminate local negotiation. The Communications Act provides for an orderly franchise renewal process in which granting authorities may not unreasonably deny renewals. If we fail to obtain renewals of franchises representing a significant number of our customers, it could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations, or our liquidity. Similarly, if a franchising authority’s consent is required for the purchase or sale of a cable system, the franchising authority may attempt to impose more burdensome requirements as a condition for providing its consent. Internet ServiceThe FCC originally classified broadband Internet access services, such as those we offer, as an “information service,” which exempted the service from traditional communications common carrier laws and regulations. In 2015, the FCC reclassified broadband Internet access services as “telecommunications service” and, on that basis, imposed a number of “net neutrality” rules governing the provision of broadband service. In 2017, the FCC reversed its 2015 decision and eliminated the 2015 rules, other than a transparency requirement, which obligates us to disclose performance statistics and other service information to consumers. It is possible that the FCC might again revise its approach to broadband Internet access, or that Congress might enact legislation affecting the rules applicable to the service. The application of new legal requirements to our Internet services could adversely affect our business.The FCC recently adopted new rules to expand the surviving transparency requirement by requiring us to post standardized labels similar to the format of food nutrition labels for each of our currently available consumer Internet offerings. These new rules are scheduled to take effect six months after approval by the federal Office of Management and Budget.The 2017 FCC decision reclassifying Internet access services also ruled that state regulators may not impose obligations similar to federal network neutrality obligations that the FCC eliminated, but this blanket prohibition was vacated by the U.S. Court of Appeals in 2019. The court left open the possibility that individual state laws could be deemed preempted on a case by case basis if it is shown that they conflict with federal law. Several states have adopted rules similar to the network neutrality requirements that were eliminated by the FCC, and the California rules were upheld in federal court. California has also adopted other regulations on Internet services, including network resiliency rules to assure backup power is available after natural disasters and other outages, and it has an open proceeding to consider the imposition of service quality metrics on Internet service providers. California has also adopted other regulations on Internet services, including network resiliency rules to assure backup power is available after natural disasters and other outages. New York adopted legislation that would have required Internet service providers to offer a discounted Internet service to qualifying low-income consumers, but a federal district judge enjoined enforcement as likely to be deemed rate regulation of Internet service that would be preempted by federal law. That decision is currently being appealed. We cannot predict what other legislation and regulations may be adopted by states or how challenges to such requirements will be resolved. We cannot predict what other legislation and regulations may be adopted by states or how challenges to such requirements will be resolved. In recent years, the federal, state and local governments have offered billions of dollars in subsidies to companies deploying broadband to areas deemed to be “unserved” or “underserved,” using funds from the FCC’s RDOF auction in 2020, The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARPA”), and The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (the “IIJA”). In recent years, the federal and state governments have offered billions of dollars in subsidies to companies deploying broadband to areas deemed to be “unserved” or “underserved,” using funds from the FCC’s RDOF auction in 2020, The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ("ARPA"), and The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (the "Infrastructure Act"). We support such subsidies, provided they are not directed to areas that are already served, and have sought and expect to continue to seek subsidies for our own broadband construction in unserved and underserved areas through programs including RDOF and those created pursuant to ARPA and, if regulatory requirements are reasonable, the IIJA. We have been awarded over $1.7 billion in the RDOF auction and other federal, state and municipal grants that will partially fund, along with our substantial additional investment, the construction of new broadband infrastructure to more than one million estimated passings. Our awards through RDOF and ARPA include a number of regulatory requirements, such as serving as the carrier of last resort and completing increasingly larger portions of the network construction by certain dates. These awards include a number of regulatory requirements, such as serving as the carrier of last resort and completing increasingly larger portions of the network construction by certain dates. If we fail to meet these obligations, we could be subject to substantial government penalties.The market for our Internet services is affected by participation in and the general availability of programs that offer federal subsidies for certain low-income consumers for the purchase of Internet access service. In 2021, pursuant to Congressional 15appropriation for COVID relief, the FCC established a temporary monthly Emergency Broadband Benefit Program ("EBBP") subsidy of up to $50 for most eligible low-income households. With the funding for EBBP set to run out, Congress in the IIJA authorized $14.2 billion for the successor ACP that provides up to a $30 monthly discount for most eligible customers paid to the household’s broadband provider. We elected to participate in the EBBP and ACP, and the FCC regulates many of the terms on which we provide ACP services, including restrictions on our ability to refuse service to prospective eligible customers based upon their credit or payment history. The ACP discount enables eligible households to purchase our Spectrum Internet Assist service at no cost to them, and we cannot predict whether Congress or the FCC will provide additional funding to extend the ACP, or on what terms, when ACP funding runs out, which is expected to be at some point in 2024.Wireline Voice ServiceThe FCC has never classified the VoIP wireline telephone services we offer as “telecommunications services” that are subject to traditional federal common carrier regulation, but instead has imposed some of these regulatory requirements on a case-by-case basis, such as requirements relating to 911 emergency services (“E911”), Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (“CALEA”) (the statute governing law enforcement access to and surveillance of communications), Universal Service Fund contributions, customer privacy and Customer Proprietary Network Information protections, number portability, network outage reporting, rural call completion, disability access, regulatory fees, back-up power, robocall mitigation and discontinuance of service. It is possible that the FCC or Congress will impose additional federal requirements on our VoIP telephone services in the future. It is possible that the FCC or Congress will impose additional requirements on our VoIP telephone services in the future. Our VoIP telephone services are subject to certain state and local regulatory fees such as E911 fees and contributions to state universal service funds. Additionally, to comply with RDOF program requirements, we have chosen in the RDOF areas to offer Lifeline VoIP telephone services subject to traditional federal and state common carrier regulations. Additionally, to comply with RDOF program requirements, we have chosen in the RDOF areas to offer certain of our VoIP telephone services, such as our federal or state Lifeline services, subject to traditional federal and state common carrier regulations. Except where we have chosen to offer VoIP telephone services in such a manner, we believe that our VoIP telephone services should be governed primarily by federal regulation. A federal appellate court affirmed our successful challenge to Minnesota's attempt to generally apply telephone regulation to our VoIP services, but that ruling is limited to the seven states in the 8th Circuit. Some states have attempted to subject cable VoIP services, such as our VoIP telephone service, to state level regulation. California has imposed reporting and other obligations on our VoIP services, including backup power requirements, and has proposed the imposition of service quality metrics on VoIP services. California has imposed reporting and other obligations on our VoIP services, including backup power requirements. We have registered with or obtained certificates or authorizations from the FCC and the state regulatory authorities in those states in which we offer competitive voice services in order to ensure the continuity of our services. However, it is unclear whether and how these and other ongoing regulatory matters ultimately will be resolved. State regulatory commissions and legislatures may continue to consider imposing regulatory requirements on our fixed telephone services.Mobile Service Our Spectrum Mobile service offers mobile Internet access and telephone service. We provide this service as an MVNO using Verizon’s network and our network through Spectrum WiFi. As an MVNO, we are subject to many of the same FCC regulations that apply to facilities-based wireless carriers, as well as certain state or local regulations, including (but not limited to): E911, local number portability, customer privacy, CALEA, universal service fund contribution, robocall mitigation and hearing aid compatibility and safety and emission requirements for mobile devices. Spectrum Mobile’s broadband Internet access service is also subject to the FCC’s transparency rule. The FCC or other regulatory authorities may adopt new or different regulations for MVNOs and/or mobile service providers in the future, or impose new taxes or fees applicable to Spectrum Mobile, which could adversely affect the service offering or our business generally. For example, California has proposed the imposition of service quality metrics on mobile services.Privacy and Information Security RegulationThe Communications Act limits our ability to collect, use, and disclose customers’ personally identifiable information for our Internet, video and voice services. We are subject to additional federal, state, and local laws and regulations that impose additional restrictions on the collection, use and disclosure of consumer information. All broadband providers are also obliged by CALEA to configure their networks in a manner that facilitates the ability of state and federal law enforcement, with proper legal process authorized under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, to obtain records and information concerning our customers, including the content of their communications. Further, the FCC, Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), and many states regulate and restrict the marketing practices of communications service providers, including telemarketing and sending unsolicited commercial emails. The FTC currently has the authority, pursuant to its general authority to enforce against unfair or deceptive acts and practices, to protect the privacy of Internet service customers, including our use and disclosure of certain customer information. 16Our operations are also subject to federal and state laws governing information security. In the event of an information security breach, such rules may require consumer and government agency notification and may result in regulatory enforcement actions with the potential of monetary forfeitures. The FCC, the FTC and state attorneys general regularly bring enforcement actions against companies related to information security breaches and privacy violations.Various security standards provide guidance to telecommunications companies in order to help identify and mitigate cybersecurity risks. One such standard is the voluntary framework released by the National Institute for Standards and Technology (“NIST”) in 2014 and updated in 2018, in cooperation with other federal agencies and owners and operators of U.S. critical infrastructure. The NIST cybersecurity framework provides a prioritized and flexible model for organizations to identify and manage cyber risks inherent to their business. It was designed to supplement, not supersede, existing cybersecurity regulations and requirements. Several government agencies have encouraged compliance with the NIST cybersecurity framework, including the FCC and Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (“CISA”). Several government agencies have encouraged compliance with the NIST cybersecurity framework, including the FCC, which is also considering expansion of its cybersecurity guidelines or the adoption of cybersecurity requirements. We voluntarily follow NIST as part of our overall cybersecurity program. The FCC is considering expansion of its cybersecurity guidelines or the adoption of cybersecurity requirements. CISA is also developing cyber incident reporting rules, pursuant to 2022 legislative requirements, that require critical infrastructure entities to report substantial cyber incidents within 72 hours of their discovery.Many states and local authorities have considered legislative or other actions that would impose restrictions on our ability to collect, use and disclose, and safeguard certain consumer information, particularly with regard to our broadband Internet business. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) and Maine’s Act to Protect Privacy of Online Customer Information both became effective in 2020. The CCPA, under certain circumstances, regulates companies’ use and disclosure of the personal information of California residents and authorizes enforcement actions by the California Attorney General and private class actions for data breaches. In addition, effective January 1, 2023, the California Consumer Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”) amended CCPA to impose additional obligations on companies that handle the personal information of California residents. In addition, effective January 1, 2023, the California Consumer Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”), adopted by ballot initiative in 2020, will amend the CCPA to impose additional obligations on companies that handle the personal information of California residents. The Maine law regulates how Internet service providers use and disclose customers’ personal information and requires Internet service providers to take reasonable measures to protect customers’ personal information. Virginia's new privacy law became effective on January 1, 2023, and Colorado and Connecticut's new privacy laws will become effective later in 2023. Each of these laws will regulate the way that companies collect, use, and share personal information about consumers. Several other state legislatures are considering the adoption of new data security and cybersecurity legislation that could result in additional network and information security requirements for our business. The FTC has launched an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“ANPR”) to explore rules related to the collection, analysis, and monetization of consumers' information. Congress may also adopt new privacy and data security obligations. We cannot predict whether any of these efforts will be successful or preempted, or how new legislation and regulations, if any, would affect our business.Remaining Commitments Related to the 2016 Merger with TWC and Acquisition of Bright HouseIn connection with approval of the 2016 merger with TWC and acquisition of Bright House (the “Transactions”), federal and state regulators imposed a number of post-transaction conditions on us, many of which have been fulfilled or have terminated. Remaining federal commitments will expire in 2023 and include the following. Remaining federal commitments include the following. FCC Conditions•Refrain from charging usage-based prices or imposing data caps on any fixed mass market broadband Internet access service plans for seven years; and•Continue to support CableCARDs for use in third-party retail devices for seven years to the extent applicable following the FCC’s modification of the relevant rules in 2020.FCC Conditions•Refrain from charging usage-based prices or imposing data caps on any fixed mass market broadband Internet access service plans for seven years; and•Continue to support CableCARDs for use in third-party retail devices for seven years (unless the FCC changes the relevant rules) and only as to CableCARDs in use by customers in May 2020. The FCC conditions also contain a number of compliance reporting requirements.DOJ ConditionsThe DOJ Order prohibits us from entering into or enforcing any agreement with a video programmer that forbids, limits or creates incentives to limit the video programmer’s provision of content to online video distributors (“OVDs”). We will not be able to avail ourselves of other distributors’ most favored nation (“MFN”) provisions if they are inconsistent with this prohibition. The DOJ’s conditions are effective for seven years after entry of the final judgment in September 2016. The DOJ’s conditions are effective for seven years after entry of the final judgment in 2016, although we may petition the DOJ to eliminate the conditions after five years. 17Human Capital Management As of December 31, 2022, we had approximately 101,700 active full-time equivalent employees. The vast majority of our employees sell or service our products. We believe that attracting, developing and retaining our highly-skilled workforce is critical to successfully executing our operating strategy. With competitive wages, robust and affordable healthcare benefits, a generous retirement program with company match, and opportunities for job training and advancement, our employees develop skills and expertise necessary to build a long and successful career with us. With competitive wages, robust healthcare benefits, a generous retirement program with company match, and opportunities for job training and advancement, our employees develop skills and expertise necessary to build careers. In addition, the diversity of the communities we serve is reflected in our workforce, and our success in serving these communities requires a commitment to diversity and inclusion in every aspect of our business. We value the unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences of our employees. Embracing these differences brings us together for the common mission of exceeding our customers’ needs. There are several ways in which we attract, develop, and retain highly qualified talent, including: Pay and Benefits•We provide compensation packages that are market competitive, taking into account the location and responsibilities of the role. There are several ways in which we attract, develop, and retain highly qualified talent, including:•Training and investing in our employees to be masters of their craft. •All hourly employees have a starting minimum wage of at least $20 per hour, which is well above any state or federal minimum wage level. •Nearly 85% of our employees are eligible for additional variable compensation based on their performance (e.g., annual performance bonus or sales commission).•We offer enhanced career progression opportunities, including annual bonus eligibility for all frontline supervisors and other salaried employees not already on a commission or bonus plan.•We provide high-quality, comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for all full-time and part-time employees. It is our priority to keep this coverage affordable for our employees and their families, and so for the last ten years, we have absorbed the full premium cost increase for medical, dental, and vision coverage.•We provide competitive financial benefits to all employees such as a 401(k) retirement plan with a dollar for dollar company match up to 6% of their eligible pay. In addition, most of our employees are also eligible to receive an additional non-elective contribution equal to 3% of their eligible pay.•We have a stock incentive plan and grant equity awards to eligible employees on an annual basis.Training and Development•The substantial skills, experience and industry knowledge of our employees and our training of our customer-facing employees benefit our operations and performance. We believe the substantial skills, experience and industry knowledge of our employees and our training of our customer-facing employees benefit our operations and performance. We offer thousands of learning experiences spanning leadership development, new hire, and professional skills training both online and in the classroom.•In 2022, we increased our education assistance benefit to provide reimbursement of up to $10,000 per year. •The vast majority of our customer-facing roles have the opportunity for upward advancement including through supervisory and leadership roles. Our Field Operations organization has a formalized self-progression structure where employees who maintain exceptional levels of performance can complete online coursework to advance to next level within their job family. •Our Broadband Technician Apprenticeship Program is one of our promising strategies for building our skilled workforce. Our Broadband Technician Apprenticeship Program is one of our promising strategies for building our skilled workforce. This program, certified by the U.S. Department of Labor, is aligned with our broadband technician career progression and includes thousands of hours of on-the-job training along with classroom instruction. When enrolled employees complete the program, they become certified broadband technicians. When enrolled employees complete the program, they are certified broadband technicians. •We conduct annual talent planning to review the overall performance of our leaders and their potential to serve in larger, more complex roles. Executive leadership reviews the results of talent conversations, which open possibilities for career growth opportunities and cross-organizational movement. Diversity and Inclusion •We are committed to diversity and inclusion in every aspect of our business. We strive to deliver high quality products and services that exceed our customers’ expectations, and embrace the unique perspectives and experiences of our employees and partners and the communities we serve. We strive to deliver high-quality products and services that exceed our customers’ expectations, and embrace the unique perspectives and experiences of our employees and partners and the communities we serve. •We have five Business Resource Groups (“BRGs”) focused on people with disabilities, the LGBTQ community, employees with multicultural backgrounds, veterans and women. These voluntary groups connect employees with shared characteristics, life experiences, and interests, and enable them to engage in activities that advance our culture of inclusion and contribute to business success. Our BRGs have empowered our team members to grow and succeed by providing networking, mentorship and skill-building opportunities.18Item 1A.Item 1A. Risk Factors. Risks Related to Our BusinessWe operate in a very competitive business environment, which affects our ability to attract and retain customers and can adversely affect our business, operations and financial results.The industry in which we operate is highly competitive and has become more so in recent years. In some instances, we compete against companies with fewer regulatory burdens, access to better financing and greater and more favorable brand name recognition. Increasing consolidation in the telecommunications and content industries have provided additional benefits to certain of our competitors, either through access to financing, resources, or efficiencies of scale including the ability to launch new video services.Our Internet service faces competition from other companies’ FTTH, fixed wireless broadband, Internet delivered via satellite and DSL services.Our Internet service faces competition from the phone companies’ FTTH, FTTN, fixed wireless broadband, Internet delivered via satellite and DSL services. Various operators offer wireless Internet services delivered over networks which they continue to enhance to deliver faster speeds and also continue to expand 5G mobile services. Our voice and mobile services compete with wireless and wireline phone providers, as well as other forms of communication, such as text, instant messaging, social networking services, video conferencing and email. Competition from these companies, including intensive marketing efforts with aggressive pricing and exclusive programming, may have an adverse impact on our ability to attract and retain customers.Our video service faces competition from a number of sources, including DBS services, and companies that deliver linear network programming, movies and television shows on demand and other video content over broadband Internet connections to televisions, computers, tablets and mobile devices often with password sharing among multiple users and security that makes content susceptible to piracy. Newer products and services, particularly alternative methods for the distribution, sale and viewing of content will likely continue to be developed, further increasing the number of competitors that we face.The increasing number of choices available to audiences, including low-cost or free choices, could negatively impact not only consumer demand for our products and services, but also advertisers’ willingness to purchase advertising from us. We compete for the sale of advertising revenue with television networks and stations, as well as other advertising platforms, such as online media, radio and print. Competition related to our service offerings to businesses continues to increase as well, as more companies deploy more fiber to more buildings, which may negatively impact our growth and put pressure on margins. A failure to effectively anticipate or adapt to new technologies and changes in customer expectations and behavior could significantly adversely affect our competitive position with respect to the leisure time and discretionary spending of our customers and, as a result, affect our business and results of operations. Our failure to effectively anticipate or adapt to new technologies and changes in customer expectations and behavior could significantly adversely affect our competitive position with respect to the leisure time and discretionary spending of our customers and, as a result, affect our business and results of operations. Competition may also reduce our expected growth of future cash flows which may contribute to future impairments of our franchises and goodwill and our ability to meet cash flow requirements, including debt service requirements. For additional information regarding the competition we face, see “Item 1. Business -Competition” and “-Regulation and Legislation.” We depend on third-party service providers, suppliers and licensors; thus, if we are unable to procure the necessary services, equipment, software or licenses on reasonable terms and on a timely basis, our ability to offer services could be impaired, and our growth, operations, business, financial results and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.We depend on third-party service providers, suppliers and licensors; thus, if we are unable to procure the necessary services, equipment, software or licenses on reasonable terms and on a timely basis, our ability to offer services could be impaired, and our growth, operations, business, financial results and financial condition could be materially adversely affected. We depend on a limited number of third-party service providers, suppliers and licensors to supply some of the services, hardware, software and operational support necessary to provide some of our services and execute our network evolution and rural construction initiatives.We depend on a limited number of third-party service providers, suppliers and licensors to supply some of the services, hardware, software and operational support necessary to provide some of our services. Some of our hardware, software and operational support vendors, and service providers represent our sole source of supply or have, either through contract or as a result of intellectual property rights, a position of some exclusivity. Our ability to provide some services and complete our network evolution and rural construction initiatives might be materially adversely affected, or the need to procure or develop alternative sources of the affected materials or services might interrupt or delay our ability to serve existing and new customers, if any of these parties experience or engage in the following:•breach or terminate or elect not to renew their agreements with us or otherwise fail to perform their obligations in a timely manner;•demand exceeds these vendors’ capacity;•tariffs are imposed that impact vendors' ability to perform their obligations or significantly increase the amount we pay;•experience operating or financial difficulties;19•significantly increase the amount we are required to pay (including demands for substantial non-monetary compensation) for necessary products or services; or •cease production of any necessary product due to lack of demand, profitability or a change in ownership or are otherwise unable to provide the equipment or services we need in a timely manner at our specifications and at reasonable prices. Our ability to provide some services might be materially adversely affected, or the need to procure or develop alternative sources of the affected materials or services might interrupt or delay our ability to serve our customers, if any of these parties experience or engage in the following:•breach or terminate or elect not to renew their agreements with us or otherwise fail to perform their obligations in a timely manner;18•demand exceeds these vendors’ capacity;•tariffs are imposed that impact vendors' ability to perform their obligations or significantly increase the amount we pay;•experience operating or financial difficulties;•significantly increase the amount we are required to pay (including demands for substantial non-monetary compensation) for necessary products or services; •cease production of any necessary product due to lack of demand, profitability or a change in ownership or are otherwise unable to provide the equipment or services we need in a timely manner at our specifications and at reasonable prices. Our third-party service providers, suppliers and licensors have been disrupted by worker absenteeism, quarantines, restrictions on employees’ ability to work, office and factory closures, disruptions to ports and other shipping infrastructure, border closures, or other travel or health-related restrictions over the last three years. In addition, the existence of only a limited number of vendors of key technologies can lead to less product innovation and higher costs. In addition, the existence of only a limited number of vendors of key technologies can lead to less product innovation and higher costs. These events could materially and adversely affect our ability to retain and attract customers and our operations, business, financial results and financial condition.We may not have the ability to pass on to our customers all of the increases in programming costs, which could adversely affect our cash flow and operating margins.Programming costs are our single largest expense item. Our programming costs have historically increased in excess of customary inflationary and cost-of-living type increases.Our programming costs have historically increased in excess of customary inflationary and cost-of-living type increases. While decreases in video customers combined with a change in the mix of customers choosing lower cost packages have lowered total programming cost increases, we expect contractual programming rates per service subscriber to continue to increase as a result of annual increases pursuant to our programming contracts and contract renewals with programmers. Although we pass along amounts paid for local broadcast station retransmission consent to the majority of our customers, the inability to fully pass programming cost increases on to our customers has had, and is expected in the future to have, an adverse impact on our cash flow and operating margins associated with the video product. Although we pass along a portion of amounts paid for retransmission consent to the majority of our customers, our inability to fully pass programming cost increases on to our video customers has had, and is expected in the future to have, an adverse impact on our cash flow and operating margins associated with our video product. Additionally, the demands of large media companies, with additional selling power as a result of media and broadcast station groups consolidation, who link carriage of their most popular networks to carriage and cost increases of their less popular networks, and require us to carry their most popular networks to a large percentage of our video subscribers, have limited our flexibility in selling more tailored and cost-sensitive programming packages for consumers. We expect programming rates per video customer will continue to increase due to a variety of factors, including annual increases imposed by programmers with additional selling power as a result of media and broadcast station groups consolidation, increased demands by owners of broadcast stations for payment for retransmission consent or linking carriage of other services to retransmission consent, and additional programming, particularly new services. In order to mitigate impacts to our operating margins due to increasing programming rates, we continue to review our pricing and programming packaging strategies. In order to mitigate reductions of our operating margins due to rapidly increasing programming costs, we continue to review our pricing and programming packaging strategies. Increases in the cost of sports programming and the amounts paid for local broadcast station retransmission consent have been the largest contributors to the growth in our programming costs over the last few years. Increases in the cost of sports programming and the amounts paid for broadcast station retransmission consent have been the largest contributors to the growth in our programming costs over the last few years. Federal law allows commercial television broadcast stations to make an election between “must-carry” rights and an alternative “retransmission-consent” regime. When a station opts for the retransmission consent regime, we are not allowed to carry the station’s signal without that station’s permission. In retransmission-consent negotiations, broadcasters often condition consent with respect to one station on carriage of one or more other stations or programming services in which they or their affiliates have an interest. Carriage of these other services, as well as increased fees for retransmission rights, may increase our programming expenses and diminish the amount of capacity we have available to introduce new services, which could have an adverse effect on our business and financial results.Our programming contracts are generally for a fixed period of time, with potentially significant spend subject to negotiated renewal in any particular year. We will seek to renew these agreements on terms that we believe are favorable. There can be no assurance that these agreements will be renewed on favorable or comparable terms. There can be no assurance, however, that these agreements will be renewed on favorable or comparable terms. To the extent that we are unable to reach agreement with certain programmers on terms that we believe are reasonable, we have been, and may in the future be, forced to remove such programming channels from our line-up, which may result in a loss of customers. To the extent that we are unable to reach agreements with certain programmers on terms that we believe are reasonable, we have been, and may in the future be, forced to remove such programming channels from our line-up, which may result in a loss of customers. Any failure to carry programming that is attractive to our customers could adversely impact our customer levels, operations and financial results. Our failure to carry programming that is attractive to our customers could adversely impact our customer levels, operations and financial results. Any failure to respond to technological developments and meet customer demand for new products and services could adversely affect our ability to compete effectively.We operate in a highly competitive, consumer-driven and rapidly changing environment. From time to time, we may pursue strategic initiatives to launch products or enhancements to our products. Our success is, to a large extent, dependent on our ability to acquire, develop, adopt, upgrade and exploit new and existing technologies to address consumers’ changing demands and distinguish our services from those of our competitors. We may not be able to accurately predict technological trends or the success of new products and services. If we choose technologies or equipment that are less effective, cost-efficient or attractive to customers than those chosen by our competitors, if technologies or equipment on which we have chosen to rely cease to be available to us on reasonable terms or conditions, if we offer services that fail to appeal to consumers, are not available at competitive prices or that do not function as expected, if we are not able to fund the expenditures necessary to keep pace with technological developments, or if we are no longer able to make our services available to our customers on a third-20party device on which a substantial number of customers have relied to access our services, our competitive position could deteriorate, and our business and financial results could suffer.The ability of some of our competitors to introduce new technologies, products and services more quickly than we do may adversely affect our competitive position. Furthermore, advances in technology, decreases in the cost of existing technologies or changes in competitors’ product and service offerings may require us in the future to make additional research and development expenditures or to offer, at no additional charge or at a lower price, certain products and services that we currently offer to customers separately or at a premium. In addition, the uncertainty of our ability, and the costs, to obtain intellectual property rights from third parties could impact our ability to respond to technological advances in a timely and effective manner.Any failure to maintain and expand our upgraded systems and provide advanced services in a timely manner, or to anticipate the demands of the marketplace, could materially adversely affect our ability to attract and retain customers.Our inability to maintain and expand our upgraded systems and provide advanced services in a timely manner, or to anticipate the demands of the marketplace, could materially adversely affect our ability to attract and retain customers. In addition, as we continue to grow our mobile services using virtual network operator rights from a third party, we expect continued growth-related sales and marketing and other customer acquisition costs as well as negative working capital impacts from the timing of device-related cash flows when we provide devices pursuant to equipment installation plans. We also continue to consider and pursue opportunities in the mobile space which may include the acquisition of additional licensed spectrum and may include entering into or expanding joint ventures or partnerships with wireless or cable providers which may require significant investment. For example, we now hold CBRS PALs to support existing and future mobile services. These licenses are subject to revocation and expiration. Although we expect to be able to maintain and renew these licenses, the loss of one or more licenses could significantly impair our ability to offload mobile traffic and achieve cost reductions. If we are unable to continue to grow our mobile business and achieve the outcomes we expect from our investments in the mobile business, our growth, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.Our business may be adversely affected if we cannot continue to license or enforce the intellectual property rights on which our business depends.We rely on patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws and licenses and other agreements with our employees, customers, suppliers and other parties to establish and maintain our intellectual property rights in technology and the products and services used in our operations. Also, because of the rapid pace of technological change, we both develop our own technologies, products and services and rely on technologies developed or licensed by third parties. However, any of our intellectual property rights, or the rights of our suppliers, could be challenged or invalidated, or such intellectual property rights may not be sufficient to permit us to take advantage of current industry trends or otherwise to provide competitive advantages, which could result in costly redesign efforts, discontinuance of certain product or service offerings or other competitive harm. We may not be able to obtain or continue to obtain licenses from these third parties on reasonable terms, if at all. In addition, claims of intellectual property infringement could require us to enter into royalty or licensing agreements on unfavorable terms, incur substantial monetary liability or be enjoined preliminarily or permanently from further use of the intellectual property in question, which could require us to change our business practices or offerings and limit our ability to compete effectively. Even unsuccessful claims can be time-consuming and costly to defend and may divert management’s attention and resources away from our business. Infringement claims continue to be brought frequently in the communications and entertainment industries, and we are also often a party to such litigation alleging that certain of our services or technologies infringe the intellectual property rights of others.Various events could disrupt or result in unauthorized access to our networks, information systems or properties and could impair our operating activities and negatively impact our reputation and financial results.Network and information systems technologies are critical to our operating activities, both for our internal uses, such as network management, and supplying services to our customers, including customer service operations and programming delivery. Network or information system shutdowns or other service disruptions caused by events such as computer hacking, phishing, dissemination of computer viruses, worms and other destructive or disruptive software, “cyber attacks” such as ransomware, process breakdowns, denial of service attacks and other malicious activity pose increasing risks. Both unsuccessful and successful “cyber attacks” on companies have continued to increase in frequency, scope and potential harm in recent years. While we develop and maintain systems seeking to prevent systems-related events and security breaches from occurring, the development and maintenance of these systems is costly and requires ongoing monitoring and updating as techniques used in such attacks become more sophisticated and change frequently. We, and the third parties on which we rely, may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventive measures. While from time to time attempts 21have been made to access our network, these events have not as yet resulted in any material release of information, degradation or disruption to our network and information systems. While from time to time attempts have been made to access our network, these attempts have not as yet resulted in any material release of information, degradation or disruption to our network and information systems. Our network and information systems are also vulnerable to damage or interruption from power outages, telecommunications failures, accidents, natural disasters (including extreme weather arising from short-term or any long-term changes in weather patterns), terrorist attacks and similar events. Our system redundancy may be ineffective or inadequate, and our disaster recovery planning may not be sufficient for all eventualities.Any of these events, if directed at, or experienced by, us or technologies upon which we depend, could have adverse consequences on our network, our customers and our business, including degradation of service, service disruption, excessive call volume to call centers, and damage to our or our customers’ equipment and data. Large expenditures may be necessary to repair or replace damaged property, networks or information systems or to protect them from similar events in the future. Moreover, the amount and scope of insurance that we maintain against losses resulting from any such events or security breaches may not be sufficient to cover our losses or otherwise adequately compensate us for any disruptions to our business that may result. Any such significant service disruption could result in damage to our reputation and credibility, customer dissatisfaction and ultimately a loss of customers or revenue. Any significant loss of customers or revenue, or significant increase in costs of serving those customers, could adversely affect our growth, financial condition and results of operations.Furthermore, our operating activities could be subject to risks caused by misappropriation, misuse, leakage, falsification or accidental release or loss of information maintained in our information technology systems and networks and those of our third-party vendors, including customer, personnel and vendor data. We provide certain confidential, proprietary and personal information to third parties in connection with our business, and there is a risk that this information may be compromised.We process, store, and transmit large amounts of data, including the personal information of our customers. Ongoing increases in the potential for misuse of personal information, the public’s awareness of the importance of safeguarding personal information, and the volume of legislation that has been adopted or is being considered regarding the protection, privacy, and security of personal information have resulted in increases to our information-related risks. We could be exposed to significant costs if such risks were to materialize, and such events could damage our reputation, credibility and business and have a negative impact on our revenue. We could be subject to regulatory actions and claims made by consumers in private litigations involving privacy issues related to consumer data collection and use practices. We also could be required to expend significant capital and other resources to remedy any such security breach.Our exposure to the economic conditions of our current and potential customers, vendors and third parties could adversely affect our cash flow, results of operations and financial condition.We are exposed to risks associated with the economic conditions of our current and potential customers, the potential financial instability of our customers and their financial ability to purchase our products. If there were a prolonged general economic downturn, we may experience increased cancellations or non-payment by our customers or unfavorable changes in the mix of products purchased. If there were a general economic downturn, we may experience increased cancellations or non-payment by our customers or unfavorable changes in the mix of products purchased. This may include an increase in the number of homes that replace their video service with Internet-delivered and/or over-air content, as well as an increase in the number of Internet and voice customers substituting mobile data and voice products for wireline services, which would negatively impact our ability to attract customers, increase rates and maintain or increase revenue. In addition, our ability to gain new customers is dependent to some extent on growth in occupied housing in our service areas, which is influenced by both national and local economic conditions. Weak economic conditions may also have a negative impact on our advertising revenue. These events have adversely affected us in the past, and may adversely affect our cash flow, results of operations and financial condition if a downturn were to continue.In addition, we are susceptible to risks associated with the potential financial instability of the vendors and third parties on which we rely to provide products and services or to which we outsource certain functions. The same economic conditions that may affect our customers, as well as volatility and disruption in the capital and credit markets, also could adversely affect vendors and third parties and lead to significant increases in prices, reduction in output or the bankruptcy of our vendors or third parties upon which we rely. Any interruption in the services provided by our vendors or by third parties could adversely affect our cash flow, results of operation and financial condition.If we are unable to retain key employees, our ability to manage our business could be adversely affected.Our operational results have depended, and our future results will depend, upon the retention and continued performance of our management team. Our ability to retain and hire new key employees for management positions could be impacted adversely by the competitive environment for management talent in the broadband communications and technology industries. The loss of 22the services of key members of management and the inability or delay in hiring new key employees could adversely affect our ability to manage our business and our future operational and financial results.Risks Related to Our IndebtednessWe have a significant amount of debt and expect to incur significant additional debt, including secured debt, in the future, which could adversely affect our financial condition and our ability to react to changes in our business.We have a significant amount of debt and expect to (subject to applicable restrictions in our debt instruments) incur additional debt in the future as we maintain our stated objective of 4.0 to 4.5 times Adjusted EBITDA leverage (net debt divided by the last twelve months Adjusted EBITDA). As of December 31, 2022, our total principal amount of debt was approximately $97.4 billion with a leverage ratio of 4.47 times Adjusted EBITDA. As of December 31, 2022, $70.7 billion of our debt was rated investment grade and $26.7 billion was rated high yield debt. This split rating allows us to access both the investment grade debt market and the high yield debt market. Our significant amount of debt could have consequences, such as:•impact our ability to raise additional capital at reasonable rates, or at all;•make us vulnerable to interest rate increases, in part because approximately 15% of our borrowings as of December 31, 2022 were, and may continue to be, subject to variable rates of interest;•expose us to increased interest expense to the extent we refinance existing debt with higher cost debt;•require us to dedicate a significant portion of our cash flow from operating activities to make payments on our debt, reducing our funds available for working capital, capital expenditures, and other general corporate expenses;•limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business, the cable and telecommunications industries, and the economy at large;•place