The largest cable operator in western New York and one of the largest in the United States, Adelphia Communications Corp. owns, manages, and operates cable television systems in mid-sized markets and suburban areas where non-cable reception is weak. During the mid-1990s, Adelphia served more than 1.5 million subscribers in a 12-state area stretching from Vermont to Florida, selling its customers video programming distributed through a network of fiber optic and coaxial cables. Recognized as operating one of the most sophisticated and profitable cable systems in the country, the company represented a model for other cable operators to emulate.