The ratings on Cogeco Cable Inc. reflect the company's somewhat weak financial risk profile, given the company's relatively high leverage. The company's average business position, as Canada's fourth-largest cable company, remains relatively stable despite competition from Canadian DTH satellite TV providers. Although Cogeco Cable has recently demonstrated its ability to compete effectively on this front, it remains a long-term risk to the company. The company offers cable TV, high-speed Internet (HSI), and other related services in small to midsize urban areas in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Cogeco Cable's controlling parent, Cogeco Inc. (Cogeco), has no material effect on the ratings. Standard&Poor's Ratings Services expects marginal improvements in the company's financial risk profile in 2004, as the
