Are you really getting the internet speed you think you’re getting?
Three internet service providers – Verizon, Cablevision, and Time Warner Cable – have received a letter from New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman asking them to provide any and all documents they have on “disclosures they have made to customers, as well as copies of any testing they may have done to study their Internet speeds.”
Reuters reports that the AG is looking into whether these ISPs are pulling one over on customers, by saying they’re providing one speed while actually providing significantly slower broadband.
“New Yorkers deserve the Internet speeds they pay for. But, it turns out, many of us may be paying for one thing, and getting another,” said Schneiderman.
All three ISPs have provided statements, and they all deny any malfeasance.
Time Warner Cable: “We’re 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.”
Cablevision: “[Our service] consistently surpasses advertised broadband speeds, including in FCC and internal tests. We are happy to provide any necessary performance information to the Attorney General as we do to our customers.”
Verizon: “[We’re] confident in the robust and reliable Internet speeds it delivers to subscribers. We look forward to working cooperatively with the Attorney General’s office.”
A recent study by the European Commission found that while US ISPs may offer slower connections that their European counterparts, they’re often more honest about providing what they advertise.
Image via Alan Levine, Flickr Creative Commons