Charter Lawsuit: New York Attorney General Sues Internet Provider Over Falsely Advertising Internet Speeds

New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman announced on Wednesday that he is filing a lawsuit against cable and internet service provider Charter for reportedly misleading customers on internet speeds and failing to address network and service.

According to the suit, Charter’s Spectrum internet service (previously Time Warner Cable) failed to the deliver promised download speeds and in some cases providing speeds 80 percent slower than advertised. The insufficient connection left New Yorkers unable to access much of the web.

According to speed tests conducted independently by the New York attorney general’s office over a 16-month period, the Spectrum plan that offered 300Mbps download speeds managed to achieve an average speed of just 85Mbps.

"The allegations in today's lawsuits confirm what many of you have long suspected," Schneiderman said during a press conference announcing the lawsuit. "Spectrum-Time Warner has been ripping you off."

The case applies to service provided dating back as far as 2012 and alleges at least 640,000 subscribers in the New York area signed up for high speed internet but never received it. It also claims Time Warner cable leased older generation modems to more than 900,000 subscribers.

Schneiderman said the state intends to seek “full restitution” for customers and will pursue civil fines against Charter.

The lawsuit leaves Charter on the hook for what was Time Warner Cable’s broadband network. Charter acquired that infrastructure and the Time Warner Cable customer base when the companies completed a $56 billion merger in 2016. The company has since rebranded Time Warner Cable’s offering as Spectrum.

“We are disappointed that the New York Attorney General chose to file this lawsuit regarding Time Warner Cable’s broadband speed advertisements that occurred prior to Charter’s merger,” a spokesperson for Charter said.

The company highlighted its commitment to invest in its network, expand broadband deployment, and create jobs in New York State as part of its merger agreement. The spokesperson also noted Charter was “among the highest rated broadband providers” in the 2016 FCC Broadband report.