DoingItLocal

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that his administration has submitted a supplemental plan to the bipartisan leaders of the Connecticut General Assembly to use funding from the recently created Emergency State Response Reserve in response to federal funding reductions and delays made by the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans to essential health and human services supports that the residents of Connecticut depend on for some of their most basic needs.

This supplemental plan totals $18.7 million and will be used to support items necessary for food and nutrition assistance, Medicaid assistance, youth mental health services in schools, and children’s wraparound services, including healthcare and childcare.

“Recent funding gaps on the federal level are continuing to cause nationwide challenges for health and human services programs, and here in Connecticut we will stand behind those who depend on these services and do what we can to ensure that this most basic assistance remains available,” Governor Lamont said.

This is the second time Governor Lamont has submitted a plan to withdraw funding from the reserve, which was created in November through Special Act 25-1 in anticipation of federal funding reductions. A total of $500 million in state surplus funding was allocated for the reserve, and the enabling statute authorizes the governor to transfer funding from it in response to ongoing needs. As required in Special Act 25-1, the governor must submit a plan for its use to bipartisan legislative leaders, who then have 24 hours to review and – if it is their will – disapprove of the expenditures before the funds can be legally transferred.

The governor’s initial plan to use the reserve was submitted in December and contains $167.9 million in expenditures. Those expenditures were reviewed by bipartisan legislative leaders, and without objection the funding was subsequently transferred to the recipient agencies and organizations.

Governor Lamont’s second plan, submitted today, contains the following items:

• Funding to expand the reach of community health workers, who will play a critical role in helping residents understand and navigate changes to SNAP and Medicaid eligibility under Public Law 119-21 (commonly known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”). These workers will provide personalized assistance to help ensure individuals and families remain connected to the benefits they need through June 30, 2027, in the amount of $2,000,000.
• Funding to support system upgrades at the Department of Social Services, ensuring the state can successfully implement the eligibility changes required by Public Law 119-21 in the amount of $11,400,000 for the state share of these costs.
• Replace funding for mental health counselors provided by EdAdvance to schools in the Northwest region of Connecticut through June 30, 2027, in the amount of $830,000.
• Replace funding for Community School grants for Clifford Beers in New Haven, Waterbury Bridges to Success, and Hartford Public Schools which provide critical wraparound services, including healthcare and childcare, to children and families in these communities through June 30, 2027, in the amount of $4,513,000.

HARTFORD, CT – Today, Attorney General Tong and Consumer Counsel Coleman announced the filing of a comprehensive settlement that secures major consumer protections as Charter Communications seeks to move forward with acquiring Cox Communications and its Connecticut operations. The agreement, now before the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) for approval, delivers more transparent pricing, stronger service reliability and outage reporting, resolves key customer protection issues, and provides for a $3 million investment in digital access and literacy in Charter’s expanded service territory, with a focus on distressed municipalities.

Charter and Cox both provide cable, wireline and wireless voice, and internet services through Connecticut. Charter has sought approval from the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to acquire Cox. The settlement requires PURA approval.

Cox provides cable TV, voice, and broadband internet service to 19 towns. Charter provides cable TV, voice and broadband internet to 37 municipalities under the Spectrum brand. Together, the companies serve 56 municipalities throughout the state.

“This would be a significant merger of two major cable service providers, leaving parts of Connecticut with only a single choice of companies for cable TV and broadband internet. This proposed settlement requires a series of commitments regarding services, costs and local preserve to ensure that Connecticut consumers and communities remain a priority,” said Attorney General Tong. 

“The negotiated agreement reflects OCC’s rigorous scrutiny of how this transaction will affect consumers and demonstrates what a meaningful public interest review of this magnitude can achieve. We’re proposing detailed, enforceable commitments on pricing transparency, service reliability, and a significant investment to help close the digital divide in Connecticut through digital access and literacy programs,” said Consumer Counsel Coleman.

The settlement requires a $3 million investment in digital access and literacy programs in the merged companies’ service territories along with commitments to maintain its corporate office in Stamford, Connecticut, and a sufficient in-state workforce for at least five years after the close of the transaction. Connecticut customers will also see savings as the agreement prevents costs related to the approval of the transaction from being passed on to customers. If approved, the agreement will improve billing transparency and limit certain fees related to equipment changes and changes to cable service packages.

Service reliability and outage protections are also strengthened under the proposed agreement, through battery-backup options for wireline phone customers, annual notice requirements for backup power, and outage credits required under Connecticut law. Charter must also report annually on network upgrade progress, continue regular quality-of-service reporting, and provide new outage notifications to state regulators and emergency management officials for major service disruptions going forward.

Customer service and consumer safeguards are expanded under the proposed agreement, including 24/7 customer contact options, required identification for door-to-door company representatives, and added protections for vulnerable customers and qualifying pre-existing “price for life” agreements entered into prior to the close of the transaction will be honored.

The settlement further includes commitments that Charter expand its video service offering in former Cox service areas and carry any future Connecticut focused local news channel on basic service tiers. Charter will be required to maintain ongoing regulatory cooperation and data sharing with state agencies, comply with state non-discrimination laws, and submit a specified Connecticut Data Privacy Act impact assessment and state focused integration report.

The settlement was negotiated after the close of an extensive evidentiary record and briefing in December 2025 and is now before PURA for review. If approved, the commitments will become enforceable conditions of the transaction in Connecticut.

More information, and the settlement filed with PURA, can be found here: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/ag/press_releases/2026/charter-cox-occ-oag-settlement-agreement.pdf?rev=a4b40ef158a6488d85c753d1f7f9f7ab&hash=29E8870D9ED013BBE4575418ADC56DA8