ST. LOUIS, Jan. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --

Charter Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: CHTR) today increased Internet speeds for the company's residential and commercial customers again, at no cost to the customer. This is Charter's second free speed increase in the past year.

Effective today, the speed for Charter Internet Express is increasing from up to 8 megabits-per-second (Mbps) to up to 12Mbps and Charter Internet Plus speed is rising from up to 16Mbps to up to 18Mbps - a free enhancement for customers. Charter Business customers will also experience a free increase in Internet speeds: Pro40Mbps increases to Pro50Mbps and Pro75Mbps service advances to Pro100Mbps.

"There has been an explosion in the number of devices, applications and cloud-based services that rely on robust Internet connectivity," said Carl Leuschner, Vice President, Internet and Phone Product Management for Charter. "The Internet is a destination we go to for work, play, to interact and be entertained. These experiences increasingly require faster Internet access, and by providing ultra-fast speeds in our markets, Charter enables our customers to experience true high-speed Internet." Mr. Leuschner added, "Our flagship Internet Express speed is more than double what it was a year ago, reflecting our ongoing commitment to leverage our superior network to drive value for our customers."

Faster speeds give the multitude of in-home devices like desktops, laptops, hand held devices and gaming consoles an amazingly fast connection. To do this, Charter leverages its deployment of next generation DOCSIS 3.0 technology.

"The era of the single PC household is history," said Mr. Leuschner. "Every member of the household has multiple devices and each wants to experience the full wealth of Internet applications available. By increasing Internet speeds, Charter Internet provides each member of the family with the ability to work and play simultaneously at the speed they need."

Upload speeds remain up to 1Mbps for Express and up to 2Mbps for Plus. Max and Ultra60 services are also available with download speeds up to 25Mbps and 60Mbps. Charter Business customers have access to download speeds up to 100Mbps and upload speeds up to 5Mbps. Charter also provides commercial customers fiber-optic Internet services of up to 1Gbps.

About Charter

Charter (NASDAQ: CHTR) is a leading broadband communications company and the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States. Charter provides a full range of advanced broadband services, including advanced Charter TV(TM) video entertainment programming, Charter Internet(TM) access, and Charter Phone(TM). Charter Business(R) similarly provides scalable, tailored, and cost-effective broadband communications solutions to business organizations, such as business-to-business Internet access, data networking, business telephone, video and music entertainment services, and wireless backhaul. Charter's advertising sales and production services are sold under the Charter Media(R) brand. More information about Charter can be found at charter.com.

About Charter Business

Charter Business(R) provides business organizations with scalable, tailored, and cost-effective broadband communications solutions, including business-to-business Internet access, data networking, business telephone, video and music entertainment services and wireless backhaul. Catering to the unique broadband needs of business customers, Charter Business offers competitively priced bundled products over its state-of-the-art, fiber-based network, helping businesses in a variety of industries maximize efficiency while continuing to grow. Charter Business is Metro Ethernet Forum Certified. More information about Charter Business can be found at charter-business.com.

SOURCE Charter Communications, Inc.