Internet providers Verizon Communications, Time Warner Cable and Cablevision are under investigation by the New York attorney general’s office for not delivering the broadband speeds they advertise.
Letters were reportedly sent to the three Internet providers requesting they disclose how they come up with the Internet speeds they advertise. The letter also asks for the release of results from internal testing.
“New Yorkers deserve the internet speeds they pay for,” New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said. “But it turns out, many of us may be paying for one thing and getting another. Families pay a huge cost already for internet access in New York, so I will not tolerate a situation in which they aren’t getting what they have been promised.”
A study by the Open Technology Institute found customers in New York paid up to 10-times more for Internet than counterparts in Hong Kong, Paris and Tokyo.
The letter, written by Schneiderman’s senior lawyer Tim Wu, also says the slower speeds could business related, not technical issues. Wu says his is “specifically concerned about the disruptions to the consumer experience caused by interconnection disputes.”
These business-related issues are often caused by interconnection problems between companies that share networks. A 2014 study by M-Lab found these issues are often caused by disagreements between ISPs and have a “severely negative impact” on Internet speeds.
Cablevision spokesman Charlie Schueler denied the claims, saying the company’s Optimum Online service “consistently surpasses advertised broadband speeds, including in [Federal Communications Commission and internal tests.] We are happy to provide any necessary performance information to the attorney general as we do to our customers.”
“Were confident that we provide our customers the speeds and services we promise them and look forward to working with the AG to resolve this matter,” Time Warner Cable spokesman Bobby Amirshahi said in a statement.
Verizon has yet to comment. The companies have a deadline of Nov. 8 to cooperate with the investigation.
