Connecticut’s top utility regulator recently sent a letter warning cable provider Optimum that it may have violated state law by not notifying the agency about job cuts to its in-house cable news channel, News 12.

It’s unclear what penalties, if any, regulators might impose on the company in response to those changes.

Thomas Wiehl, chair of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, sent a letter to Optimum’s director of government affairs, Brian Smith, on Aug. 27, inquiring about reports of widespread layoffs at News 12, which operates newsrooms in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey.

Those cuts — if they are as severe as was reported — could constitute programming changes that require prior notice to regulators, Wiehl said.

Wiehl specifically cited one report from CT Insider that said the layoffs could affect the channel’s ability to provide “Connecticut-focused coverage” to viewers. No notice of such a change was received by PURA, he added.

“My sincere hope is that this lack of notice is indicative that the above-cited reporting is incorrect, and that there will in fact be no changes to the local news programming that benefits the people of Connecticut who, in turn, pay Optimum’s consistently increasing rates and charges,” Wiehl said. “However, if Optimum does plan to change News 12 programming, please promptly notify PURA in compliance with Connecticut law.”

A spokesperson for Optimum declined to answer specific questions about the scope of the News 12 layoffs. However, company leaders disputed some of the chairman’s assertions in a response letter last Wednesday, written by Smith.

Alexis Aziz, the Optimum spokesperson, said in a statement Thursday that the company is “taking proactive steps to ensure News 12 remains strong, relevant, and sustainable for the future.”

“Our mission remains unchanged,” Aziz added. “We remain committed to delivering trusted hyperlocal journalism, serving the communities that rely on us, and providing viewers with the news and information they want, where and how they want it.”

As part of a deregulation bill passed in 2007, Connecticut lawmakers effectively removed PURA’s authority to set cable TV rates or approve franchise agreements. However, the agency retains some vestiges of its prior oversight of the cable industry, including a law requiring that video service providers give regulators at least 30 days notice of any “planned programming or rate changes.”

In his response letter to PURA, Smith said his understanding of the law was that it generally requires cable companies like Optimum to notify regulators only if they plan on adding, moving or discontinuing a TV channel.

“It is our view that the updates to News 12’s local news programming on an existing channel do not fall within the scope of the notice requirements” under the law, Smith wrote.

Smith nonetheless offered to meet with Wiehl and PURA staff to discuss those changes. “Optimum feels that it is important to keep the Authority apprised of developments that impact its Connecticut customers, beyond its strict regulatory requirements,” he wrote.

In interview with the Connecticut Mirror, Wiehl said he planned to take up Smith on his offer for a meeting.

Wiehl, who previously served as an attorney at the Office of Consumer Counsel, added that his view of “programming” extends beyond just the lineup of channels offered by a cable provider.

“If they could just run a black screen for 24 hours a day, as long as they called it ‘News 12’ …. Presumably, the Legislature would want them to have to let us know that that’s happening,” Wiehl said.

Despite his concerns, Wiehl said the law is clear that his agency lacks the authority to review or block any of the proposed changes in News 12’s programming, or to order a rate reduction on behalf of customers. He said he was unsure whether the law even allowed PURA to issue a notice of violation — or impose fines — if it determines Optimum failed to properly report those changes to regulators.

Part of the reason for his letter, Wiehl said, is that there was little publicly available information about what Optimum’s actual plans are for the station. In statements to other news outlets, including CT Insider and the New York Post, company representatives have not divulged the extent of layoffs or efforts to consolidate operations across its newsrooms.

The Post reported that the layoffs impacted “at least three dozens employees,” including Connecticut-based anchors Becky Suran and Mark Sudol.

“I don’t know that anyone knows what the plan is based on the public reporting I’ve seen, other than there have been layoffs,” Wiehl said. “There seems to have been some confirmations from sources — I can’t even tell whether they’re speaking for Optimum or not — that there’s going to be changes to the content, at least, that’s being broadcast.”

Wiehl’s former boss at OCC, Claire Coleman, also released a statement last week regarding the reported layoffs at News 12. She encouraged cable customers to reach out to PURA if they have ongoing concerns about the availability of certain channels.

“While the details of how Optimum’s plans for Channel 12’s future operations will affect subscriber programming and channel lineups are unclear, it is important that Connecticut customers continue to have access to in state news,” Coleman said in a statement. “Local programming serves as a lifeline to residents, connecting neighbors, highlighting available services as well as local news, events and relevant information that may not be available elsewhere.”

Wiehl also said he believes it is important for regulators to exercise the powers given to them by state lawmakers, even if those powers are limited.

“I think if there’s a statute saying this is something supposed to be happening and isn’t happening, I think we need to take it as importantly for a cable company as we would for an electric company,” Wiehl said.