Charter Communications, a broadband communications provider and leading cable operator in the United States, announced it has signed an agreement to acquire three cable television systems in Alabama and Georgia from Windjammer Communications.

Through the acquisition of three cable systems located in Fort Benning, Ga.; Fort Payne, Ala.; and Cullman, Ala., Charter will gain approximately 17,000 customers in Alabama and Georgia from Windjammer Communications.

The Fort Benning, Ga., cable system lies near Charter communities surrounding Columbus, Ga.. Fort Payne, Ala., falls near Charter communities surrounding Albertville, Ala.

The Cullman, Ala., lies near Charter's operations in Decatur and Birmingham, Ala.

Windjammer Communications currently provides digital video, high-speed Internet and phone services to customers in these areas.

Post acquisition, Charter plans to carry out a broader deployment of digital, video on demand and HD programming and enable faster Internet speeds for these customers. The company also plans the rollout of new services already introduced in nearby Charter markets for Charter Business clients.

The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2011.

“These properties have a strong geographic link with the communities Charter has served in Alabama and Georgia for many years, and this transaction is very much aligned with our strategy of enhancing core system clusters,” said Steven Apodaca, Charter president, operations, in a statement.

Earlier this year, Charter Communications (News - Alert) announced a partnership with media technology company TiVo to deliver its Web TV interface to cable subscribers.

This deal enables Charter to provide its customers with a hybrid platform that offers traditional cable programming as well as Web-delivered content, on-demand services and third-party applications like Facebook (News - Alert) and Twitter, company officials said.