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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549


FORM 10-K


(Mark One)

þ
  ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE
ACT OF 1934

For the year ended December 31, 2004
or

     
o
  TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the Transition Period From                    to
Commission File Number: 333-111423

                                                   333-111423-01

CCH II, LLC*


CCH II Capital Corp.*

(Exact name of registrants as specified in their charters)
     
Delaware   030511293
Delaware   134257703

 
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)   (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)
     
12405 Powerscourt Drive    
St. Louis, Missouri 63131   (314) 965-0555

 
(Address of principal executive offices including zip code)   (Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to section 12(b) of the Act: None
Securities registered pursuant to section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark whether the registrants (1) have filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrants were required to file such reports), and (2) have been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ No o

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrants’ knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. þ

Indicate by checkmark whether the registrants are accelerated filers (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o No þ

All of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of CCH II Capital Corp. are held by CCH II, LLC. All of the limited liability company membership interests of CCH II, LLC are held by CCH I, LLC (a wholly owned subsidiary of Charter Communications Holdings, LLC, a reporting company under the Exchange Act). There is no public trading market for any of the aforementioned limited liability company membership interests or shares of capital stock.


* CCH II, LLC and CCH II Capital Corp. meet the conditions set forth in General Instruction I(1)(a) and (b) to Form 10-K and are therefore filing with the reduced disclosure format.

Documents Incorporated By Reference
The following documents are incorporated into this Report by reference: None

 
 

 


CCH II, LLC
CCH II Capital Corp.
FORM 10-K — FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2004

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 Description of Long-Term Incentive Program
 Certificate of Interim Chief Executive Officer to Rule 13a-14(a)
 Certificate of Interim Co-Chief Financial Officer to Rule 13a-14(a)
 Certificate of Interim Co-Chief Financial Officer to Rule 13a-14(a)
 Certificate of Interim Chief Executive Officer to Section 906
 Certificate of Interim Co-Chief Financial Officer to Section 906
 Certificate of Interim Co-Chief Financial Officer to Section 906

This annual report on Form 10-K is for the year ended December 31, 2004. The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) allows us to “incorporate by reference” information that we file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you directly to those documents. Information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this annual report. In addition, information that we file with the SEC in the future will automatically update and supersede information contained in this annual report. In this annual report, “we,” “us” and “our” refer to CCH II, LLC and its subsidiaries.

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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:

This annual report includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), regarding, among other things, our plans, strategies and prospects, both business and financial, including, without limitation, the forward-looking statements set forth in the “Focus for 2005” section under Part I, Item 1. “Business,” “Overview of Operations” and the “Liquidity and Capital Resources” sections under Part II, Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this annual report. Although we believe that our plans, intentions and expectations reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot assure you that we will achieve or realize these plans, intentions or expectations. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, without limitation, the factors described under “Certain Trends and Uncertainties” under Part II, Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this annual report. Many of the forward-looking statements contained in this annual report may be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “should,” “planned,” “will,” “may,” “intend,” “estimated” and “potential,” among others. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements we make in this annual report are set forth in this annual report and in other reports or documents that we file from time to time with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, and include, but are not limited to:

  •   our ability to sustain and grow revenues and cash flows from operating activities by offering video, high-speed data, telephony and other services and to maintain a stable customer base, particularly in the face of increasingly aggressive competition from other service providers;
 
  •   the availability of funds to meet interest payment obligations under our and our parent companies’ debt and to fund our operations and necessary capital expenditures, either through cash flows from operating activities, further borrowings or other sources;
 
  •   our ability to comply with all covenants in our and our parent companies’ indentures and our credit facilities, any violation of which would result in a violation of the applicable facility or indenture and could trigger a default of other obligations under cross-default provisions;
 
  •   our and our parent companies’ ability to pay or refinance debt as it becomes due;
 
  •   the results of the pending grand jury investigation by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, and the ability to reach a final approved settlement with respect to the putative class action, the unconsolidated class action, and derivative shareholders litigation against Charter Communications, Inc., our indirect parent, on the terms of the stipulations of settlement described herein;
 
  •   our ability to obtain programming at reasonable prices or to pass programming cost increases on to our customers;
 
  •   general business conditions, economic uncertainty or slowdown; and
 
  •   the effects of governmental regulation, including but not limited to local franchise taxing authorities, on our business.

All forward-looking statements attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. We are under no duty or obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this annual report.

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PART I

Item 1. Business.

Introduction

CCH II, LLC (“CCH II”) is a broadband communications company operating in the United States, with approximately 6.22 million customers at December 31, 2004. CCH II was formed in March 2003 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of CCH I, LLC (“CCH I”). CCH I is a wholly owned subsidiary of Charter Communications Holdings, LLC (“Charter Holdings”). Charter Holdings is a wholly owned subsidiary of Charter Communications Holding Company, LLC (“Charter Holdco”), which is a subsidiary of Charter Communications, Inc. (“Charter”). Through our broadband network of coaxial and fiber optic cable, we offer our customers traditional cable video programming (analog and digital, which we refer to as “video” service), high-speed cable Internet access (which we refer to as “high-speed data service”), advanced broadband cable services (such as video on demand (“VOD”), high definition television service and interactive television) and, in some of our markets, we offer telephone service (which we refer to as “telephony”).

At December 31, 2004, we served approximately 5.99 million analog video customers, of which approximately 2.67 million were also digital video customers. We also served approximately 1.88 million high-speed data customers (including approximately 217,400 who received only high-speed data services). We also provided telephony service to approximately 45,400 customers as of that date.

At December 31, 2004, our investment in cable properties, long-term debt and total member’s equity were $16.0 billion, $9.9 billion and $4.9 billion, respectively. Our working capital deficit was $238 million at December 31, 2004. For the year ended December 31, 2004, our revenues and net loss were approximately $5.0 billion and $3.5 billion, respectively.

We have a history of net losses. Further, we expect to continue to report net losses for the foreseeable future. Our net losses are principally attributable to insufficient revenue to cover the interest costs we incur because of our high level of debt, the depreciation expenses that we incur resulting from the capital investments we have made in our cable properties, and the amortization and impairment of our franchise intangibles. We expect that these expenses (other than impairment of franchises) will remain significant, and we therefore expect to continue to report net losses for the foreseeable future.

We are wholly owned by our parent company, CCH I, and indirectly owned by Charter. Charter was organized as a Delaware corporation in 1999 and completed an initial public offering of its Class A common stock in November 1999. Charter is a holding company whose principal assets are an approximate 47% equity interest and a 100% voting interest in Charter Holdco, the direct parent of Charter Holdings. Charter’s only business is to act as the manager of Charter Holdco and its subsidiaries, including us. As manager, Charter controls the affairs of Charter Holdco and its subsidiaries, including us. Certain of our subsidiaries commenced operations under the “Charter Communications” name in 1994, and our growth to date has been primarily due to acquisitions and business combinations, most notably acquisitions completed from 1999 through 2001, pursuant to which we acquired a total of approximately 5.5 million customers. We do not expect to make any significant acquisitions in the foreseeable future, but plan to evaluate opportunities to consolidate our operations through exchanges of cable systems with other cable operators, as they arise. We may also sell certain assets from time to time. Paul G. Allen owns 53% of Charter Holdco through affiliated entities. His membership units are convertible at any time for shares of Charter’s Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis. Paul G. Allen controls Charter with an as-converted common equity interest of approximately 57% and a voting control interest of 93% as of December 31, 2004.

Our principal executive offices are located at Charter Plaza, 12405 Powerscourt Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63131. Our telephone number is (314) 965-0555 and information regarding us is available on Charter’s website accessible at www.charter.com. Since January 1, 2002, our annual reports, quarterly reports and current reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments thereto, have been made available on Charter’s website free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after they have been filed. The information posted on Charter’s website is not incorporated into this annual report.

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Certain Significant Developments in 2004

In 2004, we completed several transactions that improved our liquidity. Our efforts in this regard resulted in the completion of a number of transactions in 2004, as follows:

  •   the December 2004 sale by our subsidiaries, CCO Holdings, LLC and CCO Holdings Capital Corp., of $550 million of senior floating rate notes due 2010;
 
  •   the April 2004 sale of $1.5 billion of senior second-lien notes by our subsidiary, Charter Communications Operating, LLC (“Charter Operating”), together with the concurrent refinancing of its credit facilities; and
 
  •   the sale in the first half of 2004 of non-core cable systems for a total of $733 million, the proceeds of which were used to reduce indebtedness.

Recent Events

Issuance of Charter Operating Notes in Exchange for Charter Holdings Notes

In March 2005, our subsidiary, Charter Operating, consummated exchange transactions with a small number of institutional holders of Charter Holdings 8.25% Senior Notes due 2007 pursuant to which Charter Operating issued, in a private placement, approximately $271 million principal amount of new notes with terms identical to Charter Operating’s 8.375% Senior Second Lien Notes due 2014 in exchange for approximately $284 million of the Charter Holdings 8.25% Senior Notes due 2007.

CC V Holdings, LLC Notes

In March 2005, CC V Holdings, LLC redeemed all of its outstanding notes, at 103.958% of principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the date of redemption. The total cost of redemption was approximately $122 million and was funded with borrowings under the Charter Operating credit facilities.

Principal Management Changes

On January 17, 2005, Robert P. May was appointed as Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Charter, replacing Carl E. Vogel who, effective on the same date, resigned his position as President, Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of Charter and each of Charter’s subsidiaries for which Mr. Vogel served as a director and officer. Additionally, Mr. May was appointed to the Executive Committee of Charter’s board of directors and will continue to serve on the board’s Strategic Planning Committee. He was also appointed as an officer and director of Charter’s subsidiaries for which Mr. Vogel was an officer and director. Charter’s board of directors has formed an Executive Search Committee to oversee Charter’s search for a permanent President and Chief Executive Officer.

Derek Chang, our Executive Vice President of Finance and Strategy and Interim co-Chief Financial Officer, has informed Charter of his intention to resign effective April 15, 2005.

Sale of CCO Holdings, LLC Senior Floating Rate Notes

On December 15, 2004, our subsidiaries, CCO Holdings, LLC and CCO Holdings Capital Corp., issued and sold $550 million total principal amount of senior floating rate notes due 2010. The notes have an annual interest rate of LIBOR plus 4.125%, reset and payable quarterly. The net proceeds from the sale of the notes were used to pay down bank debt and for general corporate purposes.

Focus for 2005

Our principal financial goal is to maximize our return on invested capital. To do so, we will focus on increasing revenues, growing our customer base, improving customer retention and enhancing customer satisfaction by providing reliable, high-quality service offerings, superior customer service and attractive bundled offerings.

Specifically, in the near term, we are focusing on:

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  •   generating improvements in the overall customer experience in such critical areas as service delivery, customer care, and new product offerings;
 
  •   developing more sophisticated customer management capabilities through investment in our customer care and marketing infrastructure, including targeted marketing capabilities;
 
  •   executing growth strategies for new services, including digital simulcast, VOD, telephony, and digital video recorder service (“DVR”);
 
  •   managing our operating costs by exercising discipline in capital and operational spending; and
 
  •   identifying opportunities to continue to improve our balance sheet and liquidity.

We have begun an internal operational improvement initiative aimed at helping us gain new customers and retain existing customers, which is focused on customer care, technical operations and sales. We intend to increase efforts to focus management attention on instilling a customer service oriented culture throughout the company and to give those areas of our operations increased priority of resources for staffing levels, training budgets and financial incentives for employee performance in those areas.

We believe that our high-speed data service will continue to provide a substantial portion of our revenue growth in the near future. We also plan to continue to expand our marketing of high-speed data service to the business community, which we believe has shown an increasing interest in high-speed data service and private network services. Additionally, we plan to continue to prepare additional markets for telephony launches in 2005.

We believe we offer our customers an excellent choice of services through a variety of bundled packages, particularly with respect to our digital video and high-speed data services, as well as telephony in certain markets. Our digital platform enables us to offer a significant number and variety of channels, and we offer customers the opportunity to choose among groups of channel offerings, including premium channels, and to combine selected programming with other services such as high-speed data, high definition television (in selected markets) and VOD (in selected markets).

Item 2. Properties.

Our principal physical assets consist of cable distribution plant and equipment, including signal receiving, encoding and decoding devices, headend reception facilities, distribution systems and customer drop equipment for each of our cable systems.

Our cable plant and related equipment are generally attached to utility poles under pole rental agreements with local public utilities and telephone companies, and in certain locations are buried in underground ducts or trenches. We own or lease real property for signal reception sites and own most of our service vehicles.

The physical components of our cable systems require maintenance as well as periodic upgrades to support the new services and products we introduce. We believe that our properties are generally in good operating condition and are suitable for our business operations.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

Securities Class Actions and Derivative Suits

Fourteen putative federal class action lawsuits (the “Federal Class Actions”) were filed against Charter and certain of its former and present officers and directors in various jurisdictions allegedly on behalf of all purchasers of Charter’s securities during the period from either November 8 or November 9, 1999 through July 17 or July 18, 2002. Unspecified damages were sought by the plaintiffs. In general, the lawsuits alleged that Charter utilized misleading accounting practices and failed to disclose these accounting practices and/or issued false and misleading financial statements and press releases concerning Charter’s operations and prospects. The Federal Class Actions were specifically and individually identified in public filings made by Charter prior to the date of this annual report.

In October 2002, Charter filed a motion with the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (the “Panel”) to transfer the Federal Class Actions to the Eastern District of Missouri. On March 12, 2003, the Panel transferred the six

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Federal Class Actions not filed in the Eastern District of Missouri to that district for coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings with the eight Federal Class Actions already pending there. The Panel’s transfer order assigned the Federal Class Actions to Judge Charles A. Shaw. By virtue of a prior court order, StoneRidge Investment Partners LLC became lead plaintiff upon entry of the Panel’s transfer order. StoneRidge subsequently filed a Consolidated Amended Complaint. The Court subsequently consolidated the Federal Class Actions into a single action (the “Consolidated Federal Class Action”) for pretrial purposes. On June 19, 2003, following a status and scheduling conference with the parties, the Court issued a Case Management Order setting forth a schedule for the pretrial phase of the Consolidated Federal Class Action. Motions to dismiss the Consolidated Amended Complaint were filed. On February 10, 2004, in response to a joint motion made by StoneRidge and defendants Charter, Vogel and Allen, the court entered an order providing, among other things, that: (1) the parties who filed such motion engage in a mediation within ninety (90) days; and (2) all proceedings in the Consolidated Federal Class Actions were stayed until May 10, 2004. On May 11, 2004, the Court extended the stay in the Consolidated Federal Class Action for an additional sixty (60) days. On July 12, 2004, the parties submitted a joint motion to again extend the stay, this time until September 10, 2004. The Court granted that extension on July 20, 2004. On August 5, 2004, Stoneridge, Charter and the individual defendants who were the subject of the suit entered into a Memorandum of Understanding setting forth agreements in principle to settle the Consolidated Federal Class Action. These parties subsequently entered into Stipulations of Settlement dated as of January 24, 2005 (described more fully below) which incorporate the terms of the August 5, 2004 Memorandum of Understanding.

The Consolidated Federal Class Action is entitled:

  •   In re Charter Communications, Inc. Securities Litigation, MDL Docket No. 1506 (All Cases), StoneRidge Investments Partners, LLC, Individually and On Behalf of All Others Similarly Situated, v. Charter Communications, Inc., Paul Allen, Jerald L. Kent, Carl E. Vogel, Kent Kalkwarf, David G. Barford, Paul E. Martin, David L. McCall, Bill Shreffler, Chris Fenger, James H. Smith, III, Scientific-Atlanta, Inc., Motorola, Inc. and Arthur Andersen, LLP, Consolidated Case No. 4:02-CV-1186-CAS.

On September 12, 2002, a shareholders derivative suit (the “State Derivative Action”) was filed in the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis, State of Missouri (the “Missouri State Court”), against Charter and its then current directors, as well as its former auditors. A substantively identical derivative action was later filed and consolidated into the State Derivative Action. The plaintiffs allege that the individual defendants breached their fiduciary duties by failing to establish and maintain adequate internal controls and procedures. Unspecified damages, allegedly on Charter’s behalf, are sought by the plaintiffs.

The consolidated State Derivative Action is entitled:

  •   Kenneth Stacey, Derivatively on behalf of Nominal Defendant Charter Communications, Inc., v. Ronald L. Nelson, Paul G. Allen, Marc B. Nathanson, Nancy B. Peretsman, William Savoy, John H. Tory, Carl E. Vogel, Larry W. Wangberg, Arthur Andersen, LLP and Charter Communications, Inc.

On March 12, 2004, an action substantively identical to the State Derivative Action was filed in the Missouri State Court, against Charter and certain of its current and former directors, as well as its former auditors. The plaintiffs in that case alleged that the individual defendants breached their fiduciary duties by failing to establish and maintain adequate internal controls and procedures. Unspecified damages, allegedly on Charter’s behalf, were sought by plaintiffs. On July 14, 2004, the Court consolidated this case with the State Derivative Action.

This action is entitled:

  •   Thomas Schimmel, Derivatively on behalf on Nominal Defendant Charter Communications, Inc., v. Ronald L. Nelson, Paul G. Allen, Marc B. Nathanson, Nancy B. Peretsman, William D. Savoy, John H. Tory, Carl E. Vogel, Larry W. Wangberg, and Arthur Andersen, LLP, and Charter Communications, Inc.

Separately, on February 12, 2003, a shareholders derivative suit (the “Federal Derivative Action”), was filed against Charter and its then current directors in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. The plaintiff in that suit alleged that the individual defendants breached their fiduciary duties and grossly mismanaged Charter by failing to establish and maintain adequate internal controls and procedures. Unspecified damages, allegedly on Charter’s behalf, were sought by the plaintiffs.

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The Federal Derivative Action is entitled:

  •   Arthur Cohn, Derivatively on behalf of Nominal Defendant Charter Communications, Inc., v. Ronald L. Nelson, Paul G. Allen, Marc B. Nathanson, Nancy B. Peretsman, William Savoy, John H. Tory, Carl E. Vogel, Larry W. Wangberg, and Charter Communications, Inc.

As noted above, Charter entered into Memoranda of Understanding on August 5, 2004 setting forth agreements in principle regarding settlement of the Consolidated Federal Class Action, the State Derivative Action(s) and the Federal Derivative Action (the “Actions”). Charter and various other defendants in those actions subsequently entered into Stipulations of Settlement dated as of January 24, 2005, setting forth a settlement of the Actions in a manner consistent with the terms of the Memoranda of Understanding. The Stipulations of Settlement, along with various supporting documentation, were filed with the Court on February 2, 2005. The Stipulations of Settlement provide that, in exchange for a release of all claims by plaintiffs against Charter and its former and present officers and directors named in the Actions, Charter will pay to the plaintiffs a combination of cash and equity collectively valued at $144 million, which will include the fees and expenses of plaintiffs’ counsel. Of this amount, $64 million will be paid in cash (by Charter’s insurance carriers) and the balance will be paid in shares of Charter Class A common stock having an aggregate value of $40 million and ten-year warrants to purchase shares of Charter Class A common stock having an aggregate warrant value of $40 million, with such values in each case being determined pursuant to formulas set forth in the Stipulations of Settlement. The warrants would have an exercise price equal to 150% of the fair market value (as defined) of Charter Class A common stock as of the date of the entry of the order of final judgment approving the settlement. In addition, Charter expects to issue additional shares of its Class A common stock to its insurance carrier having an aggregate value of $5 million. In the event that the valuation formula in the Stipulations provides for a per share value of less than $2.25, Charter may elect to terminate the settlement. As part of the settlements, Charter will also commit to a variety of corporate governance changes, internal practices and public disclosures, some of which have already been undertaken and none of which are inconsistent with measures Charter is taking in connection with the recent conclusion of the SEC investigation described below. Documents related to the settlement of the Actions have now been executed and filed. On February 15, 2005, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri gave preliminary approval to the settlement of the Actions. The settlement of each of the lawsuits remains conditioned upon, among other things, final judicial approval of the settlements following notice to the class, and dismissal with prejudice of the consolidated derivative actions now pending in Missouri State Court, which are related to the Federal Derivative Action.

In addition to the Federal Class Actions, the State Derivative Action(s), the new Missouri State Court derivative action and the Federal Derivative Action, six putative class action lawsuits were filed against Charter and certain of its then current directors and officers in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (the “Delaware Class Actions”). The lawsuits were filed after the filing of a Schedule 13D amendment by Mr. Allen indicating that he was exploring a number of possible alternatives with respect to restructuring or expanding his ownership interest in Charter. We believe the plaintiffs speculated that Mr. Allen might have been contemplating an unfair bid for shares of Charter or some other sort of going private transaction on unfair terms and generally alleged that the defendants breached their fiduciary duties by participating in or acquiescing to such a transaction. The lawsuits, which are substantively identical, were brought on behalf of Charter’s securities holders as of July 29, 2002, and sought unspecified damages and possible injunctive relief. However, no such transaction by Mr. Allen has been presented. On April 30, 2004, orders of dismissal without prejudice were entered in each of the Delaware Class Actions.

The Delaware Class Actions consist of:

  •   Eleanor Leonard, v. Paul G. Allen, Larry W. Wangberg, John H. Tory, Carl E. Vogel, Marc B. Nathanson, Nancy B. Peretsman, Ronald L. Nelson, William Savoy, and Charter Communications, Inc., filed on August 12, 2002;
 
  •   Helene Giarraputo, on behalf of herself and all others similarly situated, v. Paul G. Allen, Carl E. Vogel, Marc B. Nathanson, Ronald L. Nelson, Nancy B. Peretsman, William Savoy, John H. Tory, Larry W. Wangberg, and Charter Communications, Inc., filed on August 13, 2002;
 
  •   Ronald D. Wells, Whitney Counsil and Manny Varghese, on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated, v. Charter Communications, Inc., Ronald L. Nelson, Paul G. Allen, Marc B. Nathanson, Nancy B. Peretsman, William Savoy, John H. Tory, Carl E. Vogel, Larry W. Wangberg, filed on August 13, 2002;

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  •   Gilbert Herman, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, v. Paul G. Allen, Larry W. Wangberg, John H. Tory, Carl E. Vogel, Marc B. Nathanson, Nancy B. Peretsman, Ronald L. Nelson, William Savoy, and Charter Communications, Inc., filed on August 14, 2002;
 
  •   Stephen Noteboom, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, v. Paul G. Allen, Larry W. Wangberg, John H. Tory, Carl E. Vogel, Marc B. Nathanson, Nancy B. Peretsman, Ronald L. Nelson, William Savoy, and Charter Communications, Inc., filed on August 16, 2002; and
 
  •   John Fillmore on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, v. Paul G. Allen, Larry W. Wangberg, John H. Tory, Carl E. Vogel, Marc B. Nathanson, Nancy B. Peretsman, Ronald L. Nelson, William Savoy, and Charter Communications, Inc., filed on October 18, 2002.

Government Investigations

In August 2002, Charter became aware of a grand jury investigation being conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri into certain of its accounting and reporting practices, focusing on how Charter reported customer numbers, and its reporting of amounts received from digital set-top terminal suppliers for advertising. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has publicly stated that Charter is not a target of the investigation. Charter was also advised by the U. S. Attorney’s Office that no current officer or member of its board of directors is a target of the investigation. On July 24, 2003, a federal grand jury charged four former officers of Charter with conspiracy and mail and wire fraud, alleging improper accounting and reporting practices focusing on revenue from digital set-top terminal suppliers and inflated customer account numbers. Each of the indicted former officers pled guilty to single conspiracy counts related to the original mail and wire fraud charges and are awaiting sentencing. Charter has informed us that it is fully cooperating with the investigation.

On November 4, 2002, Charter received an informal, non-public inquiry from the staff of the SEC. The SEC issued a formal order of investigation dated January 23, 2003, and subsequently served document and testimony subpoenas on Charter and a number of its former employees. The investigation and subpoenas generally concerned Charter’s prior reports with respect to its determination of the number of customers, and various of its accounting policies and practices including its capitalization of certain expenses and dealings with certain vendors, including programmers and digital set-top terminal suppliers. On July 27, 2004, the SEC and Charter reached a final agreement to settle the investigation. In the Settlement Agreement and Cease and Desist Order, Charter agreed to entry of an administrative order prohibiting any future violations of United States securities laws and requiring certain other remedial internal practices and public disclosures. Charter neither admitted nor denied any wrongdoing, and the SEC assessed no fine against Charter.

Indemnification

Charter is generally required to indemnify each of the named individual defendants in connection with the matters described above pursuant to the terms of its bylaws and (where applicable) such individual defendants’ employment agreements. In accordance with these documents, in connection with the pending grand jury investigation, the now settled SEC investigation and the above described lawsuits, some of Charter’s current and former directors and current and former officers have been advanced certain costs and expenses incurred in connection with their defense. The limited liability company agreement of CCH II and the bylaws of CCH II Capital may require CCH II and CCH II Capital, respectively, to indemnify Charter and the individual named defendants in connection with the matters set forth above. On February 22, 2005, Charter filed suit against four of its former officers who were indicted in the course of the grand jury investigation. These suits seek to recover the legal fees and other related expenses advanced to these individuals by Charter for the grand jury investigation, SEC investigation and class action and related lawsuits.

Other Litigation

In October 2001, two customers, Nikki Nicholls and Geraldine M. Barber, filed a class action suit against Charter Holdco in South Carolina Court of Common Pleas (the “South Carolina Class Action”), purportedly on behalf of a class of Charter Holdco’s customers, alleging that Charter Holdco improperly charged them a wire maintenance fee without request or permission. They also claimed that Charter Holdco improperly required them to rent analog and/or digital set-top terminals even though their television sets were “cable ready.” A substantively identical case was filed in the Superior Court of Athens — Clarke County, Georgia by Emma S. Tobar on March 26, 2002 (the “Georgia Class Action”), alleging a nationwide class for these claims. Charter Holdco removed the South Carolina

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Class Action to the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina in November 2001, and moved to dismiss the suit in December 2001. The federal judge remanded the case to the South Carolina Court of Common Pleas in August 2002 without ruling on the motion to dismiss. The plaintiffs subsequently moved for a default judgment, arguing that upon return to state court, Charter Holdco should have, but did not file a new motion to dismiss. The state court judge granted the plaintiff’s motion over Charter Holdco’s objection in September 2002. Charter Holdco immediately appealed that decision to the South Carolina Court of Appeals and the South Carolina Supreme Court, but those courts ruled that until a final judgment was entered against Charter Holdco, they lacked jurisdiction to hear the appeal.

In January 2003, the Court of Common Pleas granted the plaintiffs’ motion for class certification. In October and November 2003, Charter Holdco filed motions (a) asking that court to set aside the default judgment, and (b) seeking dismissal of plaintiffs’ suit for failure to state a claim. In January 2004, the Court of Common Pleas granted in part and denied in part Charter Holdco’s motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim. It also took under advisement Charter Holdco’s motion to set aside the default judgment. In April 2004, the parties to both the Georgia and South Carolina Class Actions participated in a mediation. The mediator made a proposal to the parties to settle the lawsuits. In May 2004, the parties accepted the mediator’s proposal and reached a tentative settlement, subject to final documentation and court approval. As a result of the tentative settlement, we recorded a special charge of $9 million in our consolidated statement of operations in the first quarter of 2004. On July 8, 2004, the Superior Court of Athens — Clarke County, Georgia granted a motion to amend the Tobar complaint to add Nicholls, Barber and April Jones as plaintiffs in the Georgia Class Action and to add any potential class members in South Carolina. The court also granted preliminary approval of the proposed settlement on that date. On August 2, 2004, the parties submitted a joint request to the South Carolina Court of Common Pleas to stay the South Carolina Class Action pending final approval of the settlement and on August 17, 2004, that court granted the parties’ request. On November 10, 2004, the court granted final approval of the settlement, rejecting positions advanced by two objectors to the settlement. On December 13, 2004 the court entered a written order formally approving that settlement. On January 11, 2005, certain class members appealed the order entered by the Georgia court. Those objectors voluntarily dismissed their appeal with prejudice on February 8, 2005. On February 9, 2005, the South Carolina Court of Common Pleas entered a court order of dismissal for the South Carolina Class Action. Additionally, one of the objectors to this settlement recently filed a similar, but not identical, lawsuit.

The South Carolina Class Action was entitled:

  •   Nikki Nicholls and Geraldine M. Barber, on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated v. Charter Communications Holding Company, LLC and City of Spartanburg filed on October 29, 2001.

The Georgia Class Action was entitled:

  •   Emma S. Tobar, Nikki Nicholls, Geraldine M. Barber and April Jones, on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated v. Charter Communications Holding Company, LLC, et al, originally filed on March 26, 2002.

Outcome

In addition to the matters set forth above, Charter is also party to other lawsuits and claims that arose in the ordinary course of conducting its business. In the opinion of management, after taking into account recorded liabilities, the outcome of these other lawsuits and claims are not expected to have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations or our liquidity.

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PART II

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters.

(A) Market Information

Our membership interests are not publicly traded.

(B) Holders

All of the membership interests of CCH II are owned by CCH I and indirectly by Charter Holdings. All of the outstanding capital stock of CCH II Capital Corp. is owned by CCH II.

(C) Dividends

None.

(D) Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

During 2004, there were no unregistered sales of securities of CCH II or CCH II Capital Corp. other than those previously reported on a Form 10-Q or Form 8-K.

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

Reference is made to “Certain Trends and Uncertainties” of this section and “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” which describes important factors that could cause actual results to differ from expectations and non-historical information contained herein. In addition, the following discussion should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements of Charter Communications, Inc. and subsidiaries as of and for the years ended December 31, 2004, 2003 and 2002.

Introduction

In 2004, we completed several transactions that improved our liquidity. Our efforts in this regard resulted in the completion of a number of transactions in 2004, as follows:

  •   the December 2004 sale by our subsidiaries, CCO Holdings, LLC and CCO Holdings Capital Corp., of $550 million of senior floating rate notes due 2010;
 
  •   the April 2004 sale of $1.5 billion of senior second-lien notes by our subsidiary, Charter Operating, together with the concurrent refinancing of its credit facilities; and
 
  •   the sale in the first half of 2004 of non-core cable systems for a total of $733 million, the proceeds of which were used to reduce indebtedness.

Historically, our ability to fund operations and investing activities has depended on our continued access to credit under our subsidiaries’ credit facilities. We expect we will continue to borrow under our subsidiaries’ credit facilities from time to time to fund cash needs. The occurrence of an event of default under our subsidiaries’ credit facilities could result in borrowings from these facilities being unavailable to us and could, in the event of a payment default or acceleration, trigger events of default under our notes and our subsidiaries’ outstanding notes and would have a material adverse effect on us. Approximately $30 million of indebtedness under our subsidiaries’ credit facilities is scheduled to mature during 2005. We expect to fund payment of such indebtedness through borrowings under our subsidiaries’ revolving credit facilities.

Overview of Operations

Approximately 86% of our revenues for the each of the years ended December 31, 2004 and 2003 are attributable to monthly subscription fees charged to customers for our video, high-speed data, telephone and commercial services provided by our cable systems. Generally, these customer subscriptions may be discontinued by the customer at any time. The remaining 14% of revenue is derived primarily from advertising revenues, franchise fee revenues, which are collected by us but then paid to local franchising authorities, pay-per-view and VOD programming where users are charged a fee for individual programs viewed, installation or reconnection fees charged to customers to

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commence or reinstate service, and commissions related to the sale of merchandise by home shopping services. We have increased revenues during the past three years, primarily through the sale of digital video and high-speed data services to new and existing customers and price increases on video services offset in part by dispositions of systems. Going forward, our goal is to increase revenues by stabilizing our analog video customer base, implementing price increases on certain services and packages and increasing the number of our customers who purchase high-speed data services, digital video and new products and services such as VOIP telephony, VOD, high definition television and DVR service. To accomplish this, we are increasing prices for certain services and we are offering new bundling of services combining digital video and our advanced services (such as high-speed data service and high definition television) at what we believe are attractive price points.

Our success in our efforts to grow revenues and improve margins will be impacted by our ability to compete against companies with often fewer regulatory burdens, easier access to financing, greater personnel resources, greater brand name recognition and long-established relationships with regulatory authorities and customers. Additionally, controlling our cost of operations is critical, particularly cable programming costs, which have historically increased at rates in excess of inflation and are expected to continue to increase. We are attempting to control our costs of operations by maintaining strict controls on expenses. More specifically, we are focused on managing our cost structure by renegotiating programming agreements to reduce the rate of historical increases in programming cost, managing our workforce to control increases and improve productivity, and leveraging our size in purchasing activities.

Our expenses primarily consist of operating costs, selling, general and administrative expenses, depreciation and amortization expense and interest expense. Operating costs primarily include programming costs, the cost of our workforce, cable service related expenses, advertising sales costs, franchise fees and expenses related to customer billings. Our income from operations decreased from $516 million for year ended December 31, 2003 to loss from operations of $2.0 billion for the year ended December 31, 2004. We had a negative operating margin (defined as income (loss) from operations divided by revenues) of 41% for the year ended December 31, 2004 whereas for the year ended December 31, 2003, we had a positive operating margin of 11%. The decline in income from operations and operating margin for the year ended December 31, 2004 is principally due to the impairment of franchises of $2.4 billion recorded in the third quarter of 2004. The year ended December 31, 2004 also includes a gain on the sale of certain cable systems to Atlantic Broadband Finance, LLC which is substantially offset by an increase in option compensation expense and special charges when compared to the year ended December 31, 2003.

We have a history of net losses. Further, we expect to continue to report net losses for the foreseeable future. Our net losses are principally attributable to insufficient revenue to cover the interest costs on our high level of debt, the depreciation expenses that we incur resulting from the capital investments we have made in our cable properties, and the amortization and impairment of our franchise intangibles. We expect that these expenses (other than impairment of franchises) will remain significant, and we therefore expect to continue to report net losses for the foreseeable future.

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Results of Operations

The following table sets forth the percentages of revenues that items in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations constitute for the indicated periods (dollars in millions):

                                 
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2004     2003  
Revenues
  $ 4,977       100 %   $ 4,819       100 %
 
                       
                                 
Costs and Expenses:
                               
Operating (excluding depreciation and amortization)
    2,080       42 %     1,952       40 %
Selling, general and administrative
    971       19 %     940       20 %
Depreciation and amortization
    1,495       30 %     1,453       30 %
Impairment of franchises
    2,433       49 %            
(Gain) loss on sale of fixed assets, net
    (86 )     (2 )%     5        
Option compensation expense, net
    31       1 %     4        
Special charges, net
    104       2 %     21        
Unfavorable contracts and other settlements
    (5 )           (72 )     (1 )%
 
                       
 
                               
 
    7,023       141 %     4,303       89 %
 
                       
                                 
Income (loss) from operations
    (2,046 )     (41 )%     516       11 %
 
                               
Interest expense, net
    (726 )             (545 )        
Gain on derivative instruments and hedging activities, net
    69               65          
Loss on extinguishment of debt
    (21 )                      
Other, net
    3               (9 )        
 
                           
                                 
Income (loss) before minority interest, income taxes and cumulative effect of accounting change
    (2,721 )             27          
Minority interest
    20               (29 )        
 
                           
                                 
Loss before income taxes and cumulative effect of accounting change
    (2,701 )             (2 )        
                                 
Income tax benefit (expense)
    35               (13 )        
 
                           
                                 
Loss before cumulative effect of accounting change
    (2,666 )             (15 )        
Cumulative effect of accounting change, net of tax
    (840 )                      
 
                           
                                 
Net loss
  $ (3,506 )           $ (15 )        
 
                           

Year Ended December 31, 2004 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2003

Revenues. Revenues increased by $158 million, or 3%, from $4.8 billion for the year ended December 31, 2003 to $5.0 billion for the year ended December 31, 2004. This increase is principally the result of an increase of 318,800 and 2,800 high-speed data customers and digital video customers, respectively, as well as price increases for video and high-speed data services, and is offset partially by a decrease of 439,800 analog video customers. Included in the reduction in analog video customers and reducing the increase in digital video and high-speed data customers are 230,800 analog video customers, 83,300 digital video customers and 37,800 high-speed data customers sold in the cable system sales to Atlantic Broadband Finance, LLC, which closed in March and April 2004 (collectively, with the cable system sale to WaveDivision Holdings, LLC in October 2003, referred to herein as the “Systems Sales”). The Systems Sales reduced the increase in revenues by $160 million. Our goal is to increase revenues by improving customer service which we believe will stabilize our analog video customer base, implementing price increases on certain services and packages and increasing the number of our customers who purchase high-speed data services, digital video and advanced products and services such as VOIP telephony, VOD, high definition television and DVR service.

Average monthly revenue per analog video customer increased from $61.92 for the year ended December 31, 2003 to $68.02 for the year ended December 31, 2004 primarily as a result of price increases and incremental revenues

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from advanced services. Average monthly revenue per analog video customer represents total annual revenue, divided by twelve, divided by the average number of analog video customers during the respective period.

Revenues by service offering were as follows (dollars in millions):

                                                 
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2004     2003     2004 over 2003  
            % of             % of              
    Revenues     Revenues     Revenues     Revenues     Change     % Change  
Video
  $ 3,373       68 %   $ 3,461       72 %   $ (88 )     (3 )%
High-speed data
    741       15 %     556       12 %     185       33 %
Advertising sales
    289       6 %     263       5 %     26       10 %
Commercial
    238       4 %     204       4 %     34       17 %
Other
    336       7 %     335       7 %     1        
 
                                     
 
                                               
 
  $ 4,977       100 %   $ 4,819       100 %   $ 158       3 %
 
                                     

Video revenues consist primarily of revenues from analog and digital video services provided to our non-commercial customers. Video revenues decreased by $88 million, or 3%, from $3.5 billion for the year ended December 31, 2003 to $3.4 billion for the year ended December 31, 2004. Approximately $116 million of the decrease was the result of the Systems Sales and approximately an additional $65 million related to a decline in analog video customers. These decreases were offset by increases of approximately $66 million resulting from price increases and incremental video revenues from existing customers and approximately $27 million resulting from an increase in digital video customers.

Revenues from high-speed data services provided to our non-commercial customers increased $185 million, or 33%, from $556 million for the year ended December 31, 2003 to $741 million for the year ended December 31, 2004. Approximately $163 million of the increase related to the increase in the average number of customers receiving high-speed data services, whereas approximately $35 million related to the increase in average price of the service. The increase in high-speed data revenues was reduced by approximately $12 million as a result of the Systems Sales.

Advertising sales revenues consist primarily of revenues from commercial advertising customers, programmers and other vendors. Advertising sales increased $26 million, or 10%, from $263 million for the year ended December 31, 2003 to $289 million for the year ended December 31, 2004 primarily as a result of an increase in national advertising campaigns and election related advertising. The increase was offset by a decrease of $7 million as a result of the System Sales. For the years ended December 31, 2004 and 2003, we received $16 million and $15 million, respectively, in advertising revenue from vendors.

Commercial revenues consist primarily of revenues from cable video and high-speed data services to our commercial customers. Commercial revenues increased $34 million, or 17%, from $204 million for the year ended December 31, 2003, to $238 million for the year ended December 31, 2004, primarily as a result of an increase in commercial high-speed data revenues. The increase was reduced by approximately $14 million as a result of the Systems Sales.

Other revenues consist of revenues from franchise fees, telephony revenue, equipment rental, customer installations, home shopping, dial-up Internet service, late payment fees, wire maintenance fees and other miscellaneous revenues. For the year ended December 31, 2004 and 2003, franchise fees represented approximately 49% and 48%, respectively, of total other revenues. Other revenues increased $1 million from $335 million for the year ended December 31, 2003 to $336 million for the year ended December 31, 2004. The increase was primarily the result of an increase in home shopping and infomercial revenue and was partially offset by approximately $11 million as a result of the Systems Sales.

Operating expenses. Operating expenses increased $128 million, or 7%, from $2.0 billion for the year ended December 31, 2003 to $2.1 billion for the year ended December 31, 2004. The increase in operating expenses was reduced by approximately $59 million as a result of the System Sales. Programming costs included in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations were $1.3 billion and $1.2 billion, representing 63% and 64%

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of total operating expenses for the years ended December 31, 2004 and 2003, respectively. Key expense components as a percentage of revenues were as follows (dollars in millions):

                                                 
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2004     2003     2004 over 2003  
            % of             % of             %  
    Expenses     Revenues     Expenses     Revenues     Change     Change  
Programming
  $ 1,319       27 %   $ 1,249       26 %   $ 70       6 %
Advertising sales
    98       2 %     88       2 %     10       11 %
Service
    663       13 %     615       12 %     48       8 %
 
                                   
 
                                               
 
  $ 2,080       42 %   $ 1,952       40 %   $ 128       7 %