Time Warner Broadband Speeds Deemed Misleading And Abysmal By NY Attorney General
New York customers are not satisfied with their internet service. Thousands of Time Warner Cable's customers have written to the New York Attorney General insisting that they are not receiving the download speeds they paid for. As a response, New York AG Eric Schneiderman is working on an investigation regarding the company's advertised internet speeds.
Former Columbia University law professor Tim Wu is leading the investigation. Wu coined the term “net neutrality” and ran for lieutenant governor of New York in 2014. Wu’s platform attacked large business, particularly those in the telecom and cable industries.
Schneiderman’s letter stated, “In advertisement after advertisement, Time Warner Cable promised a 'blazing fast,' 'super-reliable' Internet connection, yet it appears that the company has been failing to take adequate or necessary steps to keep pace with the demand of Time Warner Cable customers.What we have seen in our investigation so far suggests that Time Warner Cable has earned the miserable reputation it enjoys among consumers.”
The letter also claimed that Time Warner Cable gave customers network equipment that cannot reach promised speeds. TWC also advertised “its WiFi in ways that defy the technology’s technical capabilities."
The Federal Communications Commission discovered that roughly 3 out of 4 TWC customers consistently get within 95 percent of the maximum speed they pay for. About 1 in 10 customers receive below 80 percent of maximum speeds. TWC insists that their tests are flawed and do not represent reality. Charter, for its part, responded that it “has made significant investments in our core infrastructure which has enabled us to offer high-value products backed by a high-quality service organization throughout our footprint. As we progress with the integration of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, we will continue to do the same.”
This investigation comes on the heels of Charter's massive acquisition of Time Warner Cable. Charter paid $78.7 billion in order to form the nation's second-largest cable company. It also recently acquired Bright House Networks and is working on being collectively referred to as “Spectrum”.
