¡Sorpresa! ("Surprise!" in Spanish ) is an American Spanish-language children's television channel.
88-565: The channel is currently available for the United States and Puerto Rico on Charter Spectrum , Claro Puerto Rico , Cox Communications , Frontier Communications , Grande Communications , Liberty Puerto Rico , RCN , Suddenlink , and member systems of the National Cable TV Cooperative . ¡Sorpresa! is also available through third-party mobile TV and broadband platforms, including VEMOX, Brightcove and MobiTV . The channel
176-501: A BASIC programming language interpreter, with their first employee being high school friend and collaborator Ric Weiland . Allen came up with the name of "Micro-Soft", a combination of "microcomputer" and "software". Microsoft committed to delivering a disk operating system ( DOS ) to IBM for the original IBM PC in 1980, although they had not yet developed one, and Allen spearheaded a deal for Microsoft to purchase QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System) written by Tim Paterson who
264-614: A $ 100 million commitment, The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group aims to discover and support ideas at the frontier of bioscience in an effort to accelerate the pace of discovery. The group will target scientists and research areas that "some might consider out-of-the-box at the very edges of knowledge". Allen launched the Allen Distinguished Investigators Awards (ADI) in 2010 to support scientists pursuing early-stage research projects who often have difficulty securing funding from traditional sources. Allen donated
352-445: A 33% stake – with an option to eventually own the whole company – and former Time Warner Cable shareholders would hold a 67% stake. In late March 2015, Charter announced plans to purchase Bright House Networks from Advance/Newhouse for $ 10.4 billion in a combination of cash and equities convertible to Charter stock. The deal was contingent on, among other approvals, the completion of Charter's transactions with Comcast, and
440-420: A competitor. The decision was made under goals by new chairman Ajit Pai to increase the availability of broadband in rural areas not served by high-speed Internet, but was criticized for maintaining oligopolies rather than encouraging wider competition. In May 2017, it was reported that Charter and Comcast had entered into an agreement to "explore working together in a number of potential operational areas in
528-484: A controlling interest. The company paid $ 2.8 billion to acquire Dallas-based cable company Marcus Cable . Charter Communications had one million customers in 1998. In November 1999, the company went public, trading on the Nasdaq stock exchange. At the time, it had 3.9 million customers. Charter completed more than 10 major acquisitions in 1999 when it: Charter also began swapping customers with other systems to improve
616-460: A corporate partnership with Gary Wilcox and Gerry Kazma, both from Naperville , Illinois, during which Spectrum Communications (Wilcox) merged with Charter Systems (1981–1983). Through continued mergers and acquisition, Charter was consolidated in 1993 by Barry Babcock, Jerald Kent and Howard Wood, who had been former executives at Cencom Cable Television in St. Louis, Missouri. It was also incorporated in
704-592: A deal valued at $ 78.7 billion. Charter also confirmed that it would continue with its proposed acquisition of Bright House Networks under slightly modified terms. The deal was subject to regulatory approval, although the deal was expected to face less scrutiny from the FCC than the Comcast/TWC deal, as the companies were relatively smaller, and their media holdings are not as extensive as those of Comcast. The TWC and Bright House systems as well as Charter Cable were to be migrated to
792-547: A fund "for broadband expansion projects at locations to be selected by the Department and the Broadband Program Office", with half of this funding to be provided to either Charter or a competitor via a competitive bidding process. In April 2022, Charter and Comcast announced plans for a 50/50 venture to develop a streaming platform. As part of this effort, Comcast would license its Flex streaming platform and offer up
880-565: A minimum of 36,250 new units per-year. The company was accused of making false statements in its progress reports, with an audit finding that Charter fraudulently declared at least 14,000 addresses already served by the company as being "new" deployments. The commission threatened the possibility of further regulatory remedies, including revocation of its cable franchises. On July 27, 2018, the NYPSC voted to retroactively reverse its approval of Charter's acquisition of TWC, thus revoking its franchises in
968-601: A perfect SAT score of 1600 and went to Washington State University , where he joined the Phi Kappa Theta fraternity. He dropped out of college after two years to work as a programmer for Honeywell in Boston near Harvard University where Gates was enrolled. Allen convinced Gates to drop out of Harvard in order to found Microsoft . Allen and Gates formed Microsoft in 1975 in Albuquerque, New Mexico , and began marketing
SECTION 10
#17329021075381056-1057: A predominantly coaxial cable –based network. The newer fiber-optic service-delivery network system, provides higher bandwidth speeds than are available with its coaxial cable infrastructure. Enterprise and mid-market businesses use Spectrum Enterprise for their services, which include fiber internet access, internet security, managed services, unified communications, and television products. Spectrum Business offers services to small businesses, which include internet access, internet security, phone, television, and Spectrum Mobile for Business. Spectrum's local insertion advertising arm, Spectrum Reach, currently offers service in 36 states across 91 media markets . On March 27, 2006, Charter announced that it would sell cable systems serving approximately 43,000 customers in Nevada , Colorado , New Mexico , and Utah to Orange Broadband Holding Company (since renamed Baja Broadband ). Paul Allen Paul Gardner Allen (January 21, 1953 – October 15, 2018)
1144-735: A private school in Seattle where he befriended Bill Gates , with whom he shared an enthusiasm for computers. They used Lakeside's Teletype terminals to develop their programming skills on several time-sharing computer systems. They also used the laboratory of the Computer Science Department of the University of Washington for personal research and computer programming until they were banned in 1971 for abusing their privileges. Gates and Allen joined with Ric Weiland and Gates' childhood best friend and first collaborator, Kent Evans, to form
1232-462: A producing partner of Pandora's Promise , a documentary about nuclear power, directed by Oscar-nominated director Robert Stone . It was released on CNN in November 2013. A variety of college and private screenings as well as panel discussions have been hosted throughout the country. Allen gave more than $ 2 billion towards the advancement of science, technology, education, wildlife conservation,
1320-436: A time when many consumers were cutting the cord and regional sports networks were struggling. At the same time, it announced a new distribution agreement with DirecTV that would allow that service to provide more flexible options for consumers not interested in sports programming. ESPN and sister Disney channels went dark on Charter Spectrum on August 31, 2023, interrupting coverage of the college football season opener and
1408-503: A transaction worth US$ 1.63 billion. The deal brought Charter cable systems to 375,000 customers in Colorado's mountains and Western Slope, as well as in Utah, Wyoming and Montana. Approximately one month later, on March 19, 2013, Charter announced that Liberty Media , a company controlled by former TCI CEO John C. Malone , would be acquiring a 27.3% ownership interest in the company, making it
1496-1026: Is an American telecommunications and mass media company with services branded as Spectrum . The company is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut . With over 32 million customers in 41 states as of 2022, it is the largest cable operator in the United States by subscribers, just ahead of Comcast , and the largest pay TV operator ahead of Comcast and AT&T . Charter is the fifth-largest telephone provider based on number of residential lines. It's brand of Spectrum services also include internet access , internet security , managed services , and unified communications . In late 2012, with longtime Cablevision executive Thomas Rutledge named as their CEO, Charter relocated its corporate headquarters from St. Louis , Missouri , to Stamford , Connecticut , though kept many of its operations in St. Louis. On May 18, 2016, Charter finalized acquisition of Time Warner Cable and its sister company Bright House Networks , making it
1584-587: Is known for the redevelopment of the South Lake Union neighborhood immediately north of downtown Seattle. Vulcan has developed 6.3 million square feet (590,000 m ) of new residential, office, retail and biotechnology research space, and has a total development capacity of 10,000,000 sq ft (930,000 m ). Vulcan advocated for the Seattle Streetcar line known as South Lake Union Streetcar , which runs from Seattle's Westlake Center to
1672-426: Is subject to conditions, including a requirement that Charter must not implement usage-based billing, nor use its dominant position in the market to impact the online video industry – which includes a prohibition on charging for interconnections. Charter was also required to expand its services to two million new households, with at least one million being in markets where competing providers operate. The merger
1760-518: Is the company within Allen's Vulcan Inc. that plans and executes projects to shift how the world conceptualizes space travel through cost reduction and on-demand access. On April 13, 2019, the Stratolaunch aircraft made its maiden flight, reaching 15,000 ft (4,600 m) and 165 kn (305 km/h) in a 2 h 29 min flight. Stratolaunch CEO Jean Floyd offered this comment: "We dedicate this day to
1848-452: Is the largest of its kind and designed to provide data to help conservation programs. Allen backed Washington state initiative 1401 to prohibit the purchase, sale and distribution of products made from 10 endangered species including elephants, rhinos, lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, marine turtles, pangolins, sharks and rays. The initiative gained enough signatures to be on the state's ballot on November 3, 2015, and passed. Alongside
SECTION 20
#17329021075381936-519: Is working to build an AI system capable of passing an 8th-grade science exam. In December 2014, Allen committed $ 100 million to create the Allen Institute for Cell Science in Seattle. The institute is investigating and creating a virtual model of cells in the hope of bringing forth treatment of different diseases. Like the institutes before it, all data generated and tools developed will be made publicly available online. Launched in 2016 with
2024-565: The Andrew Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy and Inside Philanthropy ' s "Philanthropist of the Year". In September 2003, Allen launched the Allen Institute for Brain Science with a $ 100 million contribution dedicated to understanding how the human brain works. In total, Allen donated $ 500 million to the institute, making it his single largest philanthropic recipient. Since its launch,
2112-687: The Battle of Ormoc Bay . In 2018, Petrel found a lost US Navy C-2A Greyhound aircraft in the Philippine Sea, USS Lexington in the Coral Sea and the USS ; Juneau off the coast of the Solomon Islands . Allen established non-profit community institutions to display his collections of historic artifacts. These include: An active art collector, Allen gifted more than $ 100 million to support
2200-804: The Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League and the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association , and was part-owner of the Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer . Under Allen's helm, the Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII and made it to two other Super Bowls ( XL and XLIX ). In 2000 he resigned from his position on Microsoft's board and assumed the post of senior strategy advisor to
2288-463: The US Open . Charter wanted to offer cheaper, non-sports packages to customers, as a way to fight cordcutting and to prepare for ESPN's potential launch of a full-service over-the-top subscription service. The dispute ended on September 11, 2023, with capitulations by Disney involving the offering of ESPN+ and Disney+ direct to Spectrum customers, along with sports-free bundles, though it also resulted in
2376-666: The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), Allen and Vulcan Inc. launched the Smart City Challenge, a contest inviting American cities to transform their transportation systems. Created in 2015 with the USDOT's $ 40 million commitment as well as $ 10 million from Allen's Vulcan Inc., the challenge aims to create a first-of-its-kind modern city that will demonstrate how cities can improve quality of life while lowering greenhouse gas emissions. The winning city
2464-511: The University of British Columbia 's Sea Around Us Project in 2014 to improve data on global fisheries as a way to fight illegal fishing . Part of his $ 2.6 million in funding went towards the creation of FishBase , an online database about adult finfish. Allen funded the Global FinPrint initiative, launched in July 2015, a three-year survey of sharks and rays in coral reef areas. The survey
2552-576: The White House 's BRAIN Initiative as well as the Human Brain Project . Founded in 2014, the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI2)'s main focus is to research and engineer artificial intelligence . The institute is modeled after the Allen Institute for Brain Science and led by researcher and professor, Dr. Oren Etzioni . AI2 has undertaken four main projects, Aristo, Semantic Scholar , Euclid, and Plato. As of 2015 Project Aristo
2640-509: The $ 10 million prize. On December 13, 2011, Allen announced the creation of Stratolaunch Systems , based at the Mojave Air and Space Port . The Stratolaunch is a proposed orbital launch system consisting of a dual-bodied, 6-engine jet aircraft, capable of carrying a rocket to high altitude; the rocket would then separate from its carrier aircraft and fire its own engines to complete its climb into orbit. If successful, this project would be
2728-662: The Allen Institute for Brain Science has taken a Big Science and open science approach to tackle projects. The institute makes research tools available to the scientific community using an open data model. Some of the institute's projects include the Allen Mouse Brain Atlas , Allen Human Brain Atlas and the Allen Mouse Brain Connectivity Atlas. The Allen Institute is also helping to advance and shape
¡Sorpresa! - Misplaced Pages Continue
2816-539: The Ebola crisis. He also created a website called TackleEbola.org as a way to spread awareness and serve as a vehicle for donors to fund projects in need. The site highlighted organizations working to stop Ebola that Allen supported, such as International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement , Médecins Sans Frontières , Partners in Health , UNICEF and World Food Program USA . On April 21, 2015, Allen brought together key leaders in
2904-626: The Ebola fight at the Ebola Innovation Summit in San Francisco. The summit aimed to share key learnings and reinforce the need for continued action and support to reduce the number of Ebola cases to zero, which was achieved in January 2016. In October 2015, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation announced it would award seven new grants totaling $ 11 million to prevent future widespread outbreaks of
2992-702: The Lakeside Programming Club and find bugs in Computer Center Corporation 's software, in exchange for extra computer time. In 1972, after Evans' sudden death due to a mountain climbing accident, Gates turned to Allen for help finishing an automated class scheduling system for Lakeside. They then formed Traf-O-Data to make traffic counters based on the Intel 8008 processor. According to Allen, he and Gates would go dumpster diving during their teenage years for computer program code. Allen achieved
3080-611: The NFL". Under the helm of Allen, the Seahawks made the Super Bowl three times following NFC Championship victories ( 2005 , 2013 , 2014 ), and won Super Bowl XLVIII in February 2014. Allen's Vulcan Sports & Entertainment is part of the ownership team of the Seattle Sounders FC, a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise that began play in 2009 at CenturyLink Field , a stadium which
3168-655: The Portland Trail Blazers NBA team in 1988 from California real estate developer Larry Weinberg for $ 70 million. He was instrumental in the development and funding of the Moda Center (previously known as the Rose Garden), the arena where the Blazers play. He purchased the arena on April 2, 2007, and stated that this was a major milestone and a positive step for the franchise. The Allen-owned Trail Blazers reached
3256-600: The Richard E. Robbins-directed film Girl Rising which tells the stories of girls from different parts of the world who seek an education. Globally, over 205 million households watched Girl Rising during the CNN premier, and over 4 million people have engaged with Girl Rising through websites and social media. Through the associated 10×10 program, over $ 2.1 million has been donated to help girls receive an education worldwide. Also in 2013, Vulcan Productions signed on as
3344-521: The Royal Navy, Portsmouth , in remembrance of the 1,415 crewmen lost. Since 2015, Allen funded the research ship RV Petrel , which he purchased in 2016. The project team aboard Petrel was responsible for locating the Japanese battleship Musashi in 2015. In 2017, at Allen's direction, Petrel found USS Indianapolis , USS Ward , the wrecks of the Battle of Surigao Strait and
3432-506: The Spectrum brand following the conclusion of the merger. Liberty Broadband will invest a further $ 5 billion in Charter and will ultimately hold about 20% ownership in the combined entity. Advance/Newhouse will own about 14%, and other current Time Warner Cable shareholders are expected to hold a combined 44% stake. The merger was approved by the Department of Justice and FCC on April 25, 2016; it
3520-636: The XClass TVs and the Xumo streaming service. In July 2023, Charter announced a major change to its cable offerings, allowing consumers to choose between the Spectrum Select Plus cable package with regional sports offerings and the Spectrum Select Signature package without, for a lower cost. Major sports networks ESPN and FS1 would still be available with the cheaper option. This move came at
3608-651: The Younger . Proceeds from the auction benefitted undisclosed philanthropies. In 1989, Allen donated $ 2 million to the University of Washington to construct the Allen Library, which was named after his father Kenneth S. Allen, a former associate director of the University of Washington library system. In the same year, Allen donated an additional $ 8 million to establish the Kenneth S. Allen Library Endowment. In 2012,
¡Sorpresa! - Misplaced Pages Continue
3696-516: The arts, and community services in his lifetime. The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, which he founded with his sister Jody, was established to administer a portion of Allen's philanthropic contributions. Since its formation, the foundation has given more than $ 494 million to over 1,500 nonprofits; and, in 2010, Allen became a signatory of The Giving Pledge , promising to give at least half of his fortune to philanthropic causes. Allen received commendations for his philanthropic commitments including
3784-698: The arts. On October 15, 2012, the Americans for the Arts gave Allen the Eli and Edythe Broad Award for Philanthropy in the Arts. Allen loaned out more than 300 pieces from his private art collection to 47 different venues. The original 541-page typescript of Bram Stoker 's novel Dracula was in his collection at one point. In 2013, Allen sold Barnett Newman 's Onement VI (1953) at Sotheby's in New York for $ 43.8 million, then
3872-534: The bankruptcy. Charter filed for a prearranged bankruptcy on March 28, 2009. The company expected the financial restructuring to reduce its debt by $ 8 billion, as well as adding $ 3 billion of new investment, and refinancing other debt. On November 30, 2009, its bankruptcy plan was approved, which extinguished its stock and cut approximately $ 8 billion in debt. That day, Charter emerged from bankruptcy despite many of its creditors' objections over its bankruptcy plan. On September 14, 2010, Charter Class A common stock
3960-594: The cable-television franchise and service for the Cerritos and Ventura , California, areas from Wave Broadband . In February 2009, Charter Communications announced that it planned to file for Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code on or before April 1, 2009. The action would allow Charter to pay its debt obligations, and cancel its obligations to shareholders. Private equity firm Apollo Management expected to own most of Charter's shares after
4048-420: The commission. The company was later granted repeated extensions of its deadline. In April 2019, Charter agreed to new conditions, under which it must complete its expansion of 145,000 new premises by September 30, 2021 (being credited for 64,827 premises up until December 2018), all of which must be outside of New York City, and are subject to milestone requirements. Charter must also contribute $ 12 million to
4136-507: The company's largest single shareholder, largely through the purchase of interests held by investment funds following Charter's 2009 restructuring. In November 2014, Liberty's holdings in Charter as well as a small minority interest in Time Warner Cable were spun off as a separate holding company named Liberty Broadband Corporation, which as of early 2015 was 47.1% controlled by Malone. On January 13, 2014, Charter Communications said it
4224-544: The company's management team. Allen founded the Allen Institutes for Brain Science , Artificial Intelligence , and Cell Science , as well as companies like Stratolaunch Systems and Apex Learning . He gave more than $ 2 billion to causes such as education, wildlife and environmental conservation, the arts, healthcare, and community services. In 2004, he funded the first crewed private spaceplane with SpaceShipOne . He received numerous awards and honors, and
4312-543: The company—in an all-stock deal. As a condition of the agreement, Liberty Broadband will spin off its subsidiary GCI Communication Corp. to its shareholders. As of 2022, Charter Communications offers service to an estimated 32 million people in 41 states with significant coverage in 48 states. In November 2013, the company announced the re-branding of its residential services to Charter Spectrum, which encompassed an upgrade to an all-digital network for its video, voice and broadband services. The company relied heavily on
4400-506: The deal. The deal was rejected around the end of May 2017. Charter claimed that the deal was too low for them to accept, and Charter's largest shareholder Liberty Media stated that they were not ready to sell. In March 2017 under new FCC leadership, Charter's regulatory conditions were changed to require that Charter expand its services to 2 million households that are not currently served by any broadband provider, as opposed to requiring one million of these households to be in areas served by
4488-543: The endowment was renamed the Kenneth S. and Faye G. Allen Library Endowment after Allen's mother (a noted bibliophile) died. In 2002, Allen donated $ 14 million to the University of Washington to construct the Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science and Engineering. The building was dedicated in October 2003. In 2010, Allen announced a gift of $ 26 million to build the Paul G. Allen School of Global Animal Health at Washington State University , his alma mater. The gift
SECTION 50
#17329021075384576-848: The entertainment division of Vulcan Inc. Their films have received various recognition, ranging from a Peabody Award to Independent Spirit Awards , Grammys and Emmys . In 2014 alone, Allen's film, We The Economy, won 12 awards including a Webby award for best Online News & Politics Series. The films have also been nominated for Golden Globes and Academy Awards among many others. Vulcan Productions' films and documentary projects include Far from Heaven (2002), Hard Candy (2005), Rx for Survival: A Global Health Challenge (2005), Where God Left His Shoes (2006), Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial (2007), This Emotional Life (2010), We The Economy (2014) Racing Extinction (2015) and Oscar-nominated Body Team 12 (2015). In 2013, Vulcan Productions co-produced
4664-511: The expiration of Time Warner Cable's right of first offer to buy Bright House itself (which was not expected to be exercised in light of the merger with Comcast). However, facing potential difficulties in reaching regulatory approval, Comcast called off its merger with Time Warner Cable in April 2015. On May 26, 2015, Charter and Time Warner Cable announced that they had entered into a definitive agreement for Charter to merge with Time Warner Cable in
4752-773: The first festival took place in May 2017. It was cancelled in 2019 following Allen's death in 2018. In November 2022, Allen's art collection was auctioned at Christie's New York . It was the biggest sale in art auction history, surpassing $ 1.5 billion in sales. Six works sold for more than $ 100 million: Seurat 's Les Poseuses Ensemble (Petite version) , ($ 149 million, with fees); Paul Cézanne 's 1888-90 La Montagne Sainte-Victoire ($ 138 million); van Gogh's Verger avec cyprès ($ 117 million); and Gustav Klimt 's 1903 Birch Forest ($ 105 million). The auction also included paintings by Botticelli , David Hockney , Roy Lichtenstein , Edward Hopper , Andy Warhol , Jasper Johns and Jan Brueghel
4840-401: The first wholly privately funded space transport system. Stratolaunch, which is partnering with Orbital ATK and Scaled Composites, is intended to launch in inclement weather, fly without worrying about the availability of launch pads and to operate from different locations. Stratolaunch plans to ultimately host six to ten missions per year. On April 13, 2015, Vulcan Aerospace was announced. It
4928-559: The geographic clustering of its systems. In December 1999, it signed a letter of intent with AT&T Corporation to swap 1.3 million cable subscribers in St. Louis as well as in Alabama , Georgia , and Missouri . In 2000, Charter Communications bought select AT&T cable markets, including Reno, Nevada , and the City of St. Louis. In 2001, MSN and Charter signed an agreement to offer MSN content and services to Charter's broadband customers. In
5016-482: The higher amount of work that Gates was doing. According to Allen, Gates said that he "did almost everything on BASIC " and the company should be split 60–40 in his favor. Allen agreed to this arrangement, which Gates later renegotiated to 64–36. In 1983, Gates tried to buy Allen out at $ 5 per share, but Allen refused and left the company with his shares intact; this made him a billionaire when Microsoft went public. Gates later repaired his relationship with Allen, and
5104-449: The man who inspired us all to strive for ways to empower the world's problem-solvers, Paul Allen. Without a doubt, he would have been exceptionally proud to see his aircraft take flight". Upon its flight, the airplane became the largest in history by wingspan . As of the end of May 2019, Stratolaunch Systems Corporation had ceased operations. Allen's Vulcan Real Estate division offers development and portfolio management services, and
5192-541: The playoffs 19 times including the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992 . According to Forbes , the Blazers were valued at $ 2.09 billion in 2021 and ranked No. 13 out of 30 NBA teams. Allen purchased the National Football League 's Seattle Seahawks in 1997 from owner Ken Behring , who had attempted to move the team to southern California the previous year . Herman Sarkowsky, a former Seahawks minority owner, told The Seattle Times about Allen's decision to buy
5280-646: The record for a work by the abstract artist. In 2015, Allen founded the Seattle Art Fair, a four-day event with 60-plus galleries from around the world including the participation of the Gagosian Gallery , David Zwirner . The event drew thousands and inspired other satellite fairs throughout the city. In August 2016, Allen announced the launch of Upstream Music Fest + Summit, an annual festival fashioned after South by Southwest . Held in Pioneer Square ,
5368-403: The removal of several networks (whose programming had already been widely available on Hulu and Disney+ or was otherwise a low priority for carriage), including BabyTV , Disney Junior , Disney XD , Freeform , FXM , FXX , Nat Geo Wild and Nat Geo Mundo . On November 13, 2024, Charter announced its intent to acquire Liberty Broadband—a spin-off from Liberty Media that has held its stake in
SECTION 60
#17329021075385456-476: The restructuring, Gates became president of the company and chairman of the board, and Allen became executive vice president and vice chairman. The relationship between Allen and Gates became strained as they argued even over small things. Allen effectively left Microsoft in 1982 after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma , though he remained on the board of directors as vice chairman. Gates reportedly asked Allen to give him some of his shares to compensate for
5544-490: The same year, Charter received awards, including the Outstanding Corporate Growth Award from the Association for Corporate Growth, the R.E. "Ted" Turner Innovator of the Year Award from the Southern Cable Telecommunications Association, and the Fast 50 Award for Growth from the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association. In 2008, Charter stock failed to meet Nasdaq standards and was given warning to comply by October 13 or request an extension. Also in 2008, it acquired
5632-415: The second-largest cable operator in the country. In addition to the 1.4 million divested subscribers, Comcast also agreed to swap 1.6 million subscribers with Charter in an even, tax-efficient exchange whose intent is to improve the geographic spread of both companies. In a third part of the agreement, Comcast would spin off 2.5 million subscribers into a new publicly traded company in which Charter would hold
5720-570: The seed money to build SETI 's Allen Telescope Array , eventually contributing $ 30 million to the project. The Paul Allen's flower fly was named in recognition of his contributions to Dipterology . Allen provided more than $ 7 million to fund a census of elephant populations in Africa, the largest such endeavour since the 1970s. The Great Elephant Census team flew over 20 countries to survey African savannah elephants. The survey results were published in 2015 and showed rapid rates of decline which were accelerating. He began supporting
5808-427: The south end of Lake Union. In 2012, The Wall Street Journal called Allen's South Lake Union investment "unexpectedly lucrative" and one that led to his firm selling a 1,800,000-square-foot (170,000 m ) office complex to Amazon.com for US$ 1.16 billion, one of the most expensive office deals ever in Seattle. "It's exceeded my expectations", Allen said of the South Lake Union development. Allen purchased
5896-407: The state of Missouri in 1993. In 1995, Charter paid about $ 300 million for a controlling interest in the cable television systems owned by Crown Media Holdings and acquired Cable South. In 1997, Charter and EarthLink worked together to deliver high-speed Internet access through cable modems to Charter's customers in Los Angeles and Riverside, California . In 1998, Paul Allen bought
5984-535: The state of New York. The commission cited Charter's repeated failures to meet deadlines on expansion promised as part of the TWC purchase, "attempts to skirt obligations to serve rural communities", and "purposeful obfuscation of its performance and compliance obligations to the Commission and its customers." Within 60 days, Charter was to submit a plan to divest and migrate its New York state cable operations (which serve around 2 million customers) to new owners. Charter CEO Tom Rutledge threatened legal action against
6072-402: The team, "I'm not sure anybody else in this community would have done what [Allen] did." In 2002, the team moved into Seahawks Stadium (now known as Lumen Field ), after Allen invested into the upgrade of the stadium. Acquired for US$ 200 million in 1997, the Seahawks were valued at $ 1.33 billion in August 2014 by Forbes , which says the team has "one of the most rabid fan bases in
6160-436: The third-largest pay television service in the United States. In 2019, Charter ranked No. 70 in the Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue. Charter Communications CATV systems was founded in 1980 by Charles H. Leonard in Barry County, Michigan. The original Charter system headquarters and offices were located at 1001 Payne Lake Road, Yankee Springs Township, Michigan . Leonard began
6248-529: The time of his death in October 2018. Allen quit from day-to-day work at Microsoft in early 1983 after a Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis, remaining on its board as vice-chairman. He and his sister, Jody Allen , founded Vulcan Inc. in 1986, a privately held company that managed his business and philanthropic efforts. He had a multi-billion dollar investment portfolio, including technology and media companies, scientific research, real estate holdings, private space flight ventures, and stakes in other sectors. He owned
6336-605: The two men donated $ 2.2 million to their childhood school Lakeside in 1986. They remained friends for the rest of Allen's life. Allen resigned from his position on the Microsoft board of directors on November 9, 2000, but he remained as a senior strategy advisor to the company's executives. In January 2014, he still held 100 million shares of Microsoft. Allen confirmed that he was the sole investor behind aerospace engineer and entrepreneur Burt Rutan 's SpaceShipOne suborbital commercial spacecraft on October 4, 2004. The craft
6424-566: The virus. In 2012, along with his research team and the Royal Navy , Allen attempted to retrieve the ship's bell from HMS Hood , which sank in the Denmark Strait during World War II, but the attempt failed due to poor weather. On August 7, 2015, they tried again and recovered the bell in very good condition. It was restored and put on display in May 2016 in the National Museum of
6512-465: The wireless space" in respect to mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs); both providers have agreements with Verizon Wireless to re-sell its services, and Comcast announced that it would begin to do so under the brand Xfinity Mobile later in the year. The agreement includes a provision, lasting for one year, that requires the companies to receive consent from each other before performing wireless-related acquisitions or mergers. On June 21, 2017, it
6600-527: Was Columbus, Ohio . As a member of the International SeaKeepers Society , Allen hosted its proprietary SeaKeeper 1000TM oceanographic and atmospheric monitoring system on all three of his megayachts. Allen funded the building of microgrids , which are small-scale power grids that can operate independently, in Kenya, to help promote reusable energy and empower its businesses and residents. He
6688-451: Was also controlled by Allen. The ownership team also includes film producer Joe Roth , businessman Adrian Hanauer , and comedian Drew Carey . The Sounders sold out every home game during its first season, setting a new MLS record for average match attendance. Allen and his sister, Jody Allen , together were the owners and executive producers of Vulcan Productions , a television and film production company headquartered in Seattle within
6776-467: Was also formerly available through Akimbo . In August 2009, Olympusat Inc. bought the channel ¡Sorpresa! from its previous owner, Firestone/Juniper Content Corp. On March 1, 2019, Verizon Fios removed the channel from its lineup. This article about a television station in Texas is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Charter Communications Charter Communications, Inc. ,
6864-420: Was an American businessman, computer programmer, researcher, film producer, explorer, sports executive, investor and philanthropist. He co-founded Microsoft Corporation with his childhood friend Bill Gates in 1975, which was followed by the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s. Allen was ranked as the 44th-wealthiest person in the world by Forbes with an estimated net worth of $ 20.3 billion at
6952-563: Was an early investor in the Mawingu Networks, a wireless and solar-powered Internet provider which aims to connect rural Africa with the world, and Off Grid Electric, a company focused on providing solar energy to people in emerging nations. In 2014, Allen pledged at least $ 100 million toward the fight to end the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa , making him the largest private donor in
7040-440: Was completed on May 18, 2016. The purchase made Charter the third-largest pay television company in the United States, behind AT&T and Comcast (the former having completed its merger with DirecTV in mid-2015). On January 26, 2017, it was reported that Verizon Communications was in talks with Charter to discuss a possible buyout. President and CEO of Liberty Media , Greg Maffei said that they were not interested in
7128-447: Was developed and flown by Mojave Aerospace Ventures , which was a joint venture between Allen and Rutan's aviation company, Scaled Composites . SpaceShipOne climbed to an altitude of 367,442 feet (111,996 m) over the Mojave Air and Space Port and was the first privately funded effort to successfully put a civilian in suborbital space. It won the Ansari X Prize competition and received
7216-457: Was employed at Seattle Computer Products . As a result of this transaction, Microsoft secured a contract to supply the DOS that ran on IBM's PC line, which opened the door to Allen's and Gates' wealth and success. The company restructured on June 25, 1981, to become an incorporated business in its home state of Washington (with a further change of its name to "Microsoft Corporation, Inc."). As part of
7304-556: Was interested in buying its larger rival Time Warner Cable . After three previous attempts to buy and merge with the company, all of which failed, Charter's chief executive officer Thomas Rutledge wrote in an open letter to Time Warner Cable's chief executive officer Robert Marcus stating, "I believe we have a significant opportunity to put our companies together in a way that will create maximum, long-term value for shareholders and employees of both companies". The $ 132.50 per share offer, just above TWC's closing price at $ 132.40 on January 13,
7392-795: Was listed among the Time 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2007 and 2008. Allen was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2009. He died of septic shock related to cancer on October 15, 2018, at the age of 65. Shortly after his death, in April 2019, the Allen-funded Stratolaunch first flew and became the largest aircraft in history by wingspan . Allen was born on January 21, 1953, in Seattle , Washington, to Kenneth Sam Allen (a librarian) and Edna Faye (née Gardner) Allen (a fourth-grade teacher). From 1965 to 1971 he attended Lakeside School ,
7480-680: Was re-listed on Nasdaq under the symbol "CHTR". In 2011, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen stepped down as chairman and from the board of directors' seat, but at the time remained the largest single shareholder. Also in that year, Charter signed a multi-year deal with TiVo to deliver content via its platform. Thomas M. Rutledge was appointed as a director and president and chief executive officer effective February 13, 2012. The same year, Charter priced $ 1.25 billion senior debt, offering to pay down short- and long-term debt. On February 8, 2013, Charter announced an agreement to acquire some former Bresnan Communications systems from Cablevision in
7568-448: Was rejected. On February 13, 2014, Time Warner Cable accepted an offer of $ 158.82 per share from Comcast , avoiding a hostile takeover situation from Charter. On April 28, 2014, Comcast and Charter announced that, assuming Comcast's merger with Time Warner Cable was successful, Charter would acquire 1.4 million Comcast/Time Warner Cable customers, bringing Charter's subscriber total to 30 million and making Charter, by its own count,
7656-476: Was reported that Softbank had purchased 5% of Charter's stock on the open market. In June 2018, the New York Public Service Commission fined Charter $ 2 million for failing to meet obligations it agreed to as conditions of its acquisition of Time Warner Cable. Charter was required to expand broadband service to at least 145,000 unserved or underserved residential units over four years, with
7744-480: Was reported that Charter was in talks to buy Cox Communications . On March 28, 2017, IBEW Local 3 went on strike, representing 1,800 employees. The company had proposed moving independently managed health and pension benefits to its own company plans, which union members considered would include drastic cuts for them and their families and loss of job security. The strike ended on April 19, 2022, with an outcome that some found disappointing. On March 12, 2018, it
#537462