HALIFAX – EastLink today continued its consolidation of eastern cable companies by agreeing to purchase RuSh Communications, which owns cable systems in the Annapolis Valley and other rural Nova Scotia regions.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed but the purchase will close on September 1st, 2007, EastLink said today.
"We’re excited about this purchase because it allows us to expand EastLink’s footprint in Nova Scotia and build an even stronger presence," said Lee Bragg, Co-CEO of EastLink. " We look forward to providing our new customers with the communications and entertainment options that have become synonymous with the EastLink brand."
RuSh Communications serves about 10,000 customers through its systems located in the Bridgetown area of the Annapolis Valley, the Clare area of Digby County, Milford, Port Hawkesbury, Richmond, Canso, Eskasoni, Mulgrave, and Port Hood.
"EastLink has a very successful track record of acquiring systems and transitioning customers to EastLink’s operational systems and services," added Dan McKeen, Co-CEO in the press release. "We expect to introduce our new customers to EastLink services in a rapid timeframe as most of these systems can be reached with EastLink’s existing fibre optic network.
"This is great news for RuSh customers as they can expect to have more choices in their communications services in the very near future."
This leaves very few other eastern cable companies (such as Seaside Cable on Cape Breton Island and CRRS TV in Labrador City and a handful of other small operators) not owned or about to be owned by EastLink or Rogers, who now own substantially all of the cable customers in New Brunswick (Rogers) Prince Edward Island (EastLink), Nova Scotia (EastLink), and Newfoundland (Rogers and soon-to-be-acquired by EastLink, Persona)
