Altice has more than doubled the size of its US operation by acquiring New York’s dominant cable operation, Cablevision Systems, agreeing to pay $17.7 billion in cash. It can now add this asset to the less impressive Suddenlink, which it bought in May for $9.1 billion, and overnight it becomes the fourth largest US cable operation. However, given Cablevision’s strategic position around New York, and its direct opposition to Verizon in that territory, this becomes a viable bridgehead to build a disruptive broadband and telephony business in the US. Altice Chairman Patrick Drahi said back in July that he would look at buying out US cable companies like Cablevision and Cox and has proved true to his word. Back in…