Cable in California

Cable is a Significant Contributor to the U.S. Economy

Our industry is the nation’s leader in broadband. Cable’s broadband service is available to 92% of all U.S. households and 96% of California households. And, after investing more than $146 billion in our infrastructure since 1996, our industry is now leading the national deployment of next generation “wideband,” a technology which will launch the U.S. into the 100 megabit era.

Our industry is a key driver of our nation’s economic growth and recovery by contributing to communities across the United States. Cable’s private capital investments have created an industry that supports 1.5 million workers. And cable systems and programmers invest more than $200 million annually in California charitable and philanthropic activities.

Our industry is competing across all services and consumers are winning as a result. Cable’s competitive phone service will save consumers and small businesses more than $100 billion through 2012.

Consumers benefit from an affordable “triple play” of digital video, high-speed Internet and digital voice services that cost in real terms 31 percent less today than they did 12 years ago. As consumers take advantage of an ever-increasing array of high value video programming, they pay less per channel and per viewing hour than ever before.

Our industry offers a diversity of quality programming with an unmatched array of on-demand and high definition content, and is focused on ensuring that our customers receive the programming and services they want wherever and however they choose.

Cable In California

California cable and telecommunications companies lead by example and provide significant support to California’s economy by maintaining service models that provide fair consumer choice of competitive technologies, invest billions of dollars in infrastructure and thousands of employees and contribute millions of dollars in the communities in which they do business.

California Cable Industry’s Annual Revenue $10.7 billion

California Homes Passed by Cable — 15.5 million

California Cable Subscribers — 6.8 million

Percentage of homes passed by cable with access to High-Speed Internet — 98%

VoIP and Telephone Customers — 2.2 million

High-Speed Data Customers — 4.5 million

Investment in fiber/cable upgrades in California since 1996 — $20 billion

  (Investment in fiber/cable upgrades in California from 2006 to 2009) -- $6.6 billion

Annual Franchise Fees and Utility User and Property Taxes paid -- $460 million

Number of Californians directly employed by cable — 30,900

California Cable Industries annual contribution to charitable and philanthropic causes — Over $200 million

Program Networks Economic Impact

There are over 300 national basic and digital programming services available to the cable industry. Many of these are either headquartered in California, have studios in California, and/or do a significant amount of production in the State. These networks grew up along side of the cable television industry. As the industry grew and was able to invest greater amounts in original programming, these networks dramatically expanded. While the statistics below are nationwide, the economic impact is strongest by far in California. These investments continue despite the difficult economic times.

Annual Program Network revenue — $49 billion

Direct employment — 46,500

Amount spent on programming by basic cable networks annually — $18.8 billion