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Wal-Mart, Charter combine forces

Charter Communication announced Monday that its services are now available for purchase in two Wal-Mart stores in the Madison area.

Charter representative Jesse Hlad said Charter already has partnerships with Best Buy and Circuit City, and Wal-Mart seemed like a natural choice for expansion.

“Wal-Mart has the commitment of bringing value to customers, and that is our mission as well,” Hlad said. “We look at this as a win-win partnership.”

Hlad added there is no cost difference in buying Charter services at Wal-Mart with the purchase of electronics as opposed to waiting until later, but the company thought the option would be more accommodating for customers.

“Customers who buy our service in Wal-Mart can receive information at the time of their electronic purchase,” Hlad said. “It is a question of convenience.”

Charter Communications is well-known in the Madison area for being the high-speed Internet provider for the University of Wisconsin and for the City of Madison.

However, some students living off campus have recently criticized Charter for not adding the Big Ten Network, which broadcasts many live Big Ten sports, to the channel lineup.

Tim Vowell, director of Government Relations for Charter in Wisconsin, said in a release that this deal is about convenience and bringing value to customers.

“As Wal-Mart is expanding its offerings of high-definition televisions, computers and other products, we hope to complement the customer’s purchase with our services,” Vowell said. “Charter is the source that completes the product offering.”

The two Madison Wal-Marts at which Charter services are now available are located at 4198 Nakoosa Trail and 7202 Watts Road.

According to Brad Schlag, a manager at the local Wal-Mart on Nakoosa Trail, customers can purchase Charter services at the connection centers located in the electronics department, often in the kiosk area.

In addition to the two local Wal-Mart stores that will be affected, more than 700 other Wal-Mart stores will be making Charter available to their customers, according to the release.