{"id":78036,"date":"2017-02-21T20:37:08","date_gmt":"2017-02-22T01:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=78036"},"modified":"2017-02-20T21:03:56","modified_gmt":"2017-02-21T02:03:56","slug":"schneiderman-encourages-new-yorkers-to-test-internet-speeds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=78036","title":{"rendered":"Schneiderman encourages New Yorkers to test Internet speeds"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Submit results as part of ongoing investigation of broadband providers; Schneiderman also offers tips to help consumers select appropriate Internet service packages<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Schneiderman:<\/em> Speed Tests Will Help Ensure New Yorkers Are Getting What They\u2019re Paying For, And Aid My Office In Holding Service Providers Accountable<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman is encouraging New Yorkers to test their Internet speeds and submit the results via his website<\/a> as part of an ongoing investigation into whether or not Internet service providers are delivering on the speeds and services promised.<\/span><\/p>\n

He is also urging New Yorkers to use his new consumer alert<\/a> as a tool in selecting the internet service plan that best suits their needs. This follows the Attorney General\u2019s announcement earlier this month of his office\u2019s lawsuit against Charter Communications Inc. (\u201cCharter\u201d) and its subsidiary Spectrum Management Holdings, LLC, (f\/k\/a Time Warner Cable, Inc.,) (together, \u201cSpectrum-TWC\u201d) for allegedly\u00a0conducting a deliberate scheme to defraud and mislead New Yorkers by promising Internet service that they knew they could not deliver.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMillions of New York families and businesses depend on reliable internet for everything from running a business to communicating with family and friends,\u201d said\u00a0Attorney General Schneiderman. \u201cNo one should be paying a premium for speeds and services they aren\u2019t receiving. Conducting a speed test will ensure people are getting the speed they\u2019re paying for, and I urge New Yorkers to submit their results and help my office continue to hold service providers accountable.”<\/p>\n

With over 570,000 subscribers in the Western New York region, Spectrum-Time Warner Cable is the largest supplier of Internet service in the state. The complaint alleges that since January 2012 Spectrum-TWC\u2019s marketing promised subscribers who signed up for its internet service that they would get a “fast, reliable connection” to the Internet from anywhere in their home. But a 16-month investigation by the Attorney General\u2019s office \u2013 which included reviewing internal corporate communications and hundreds of thousands of subscriber speed tests\u00a0\u2013\u00a0found Spectrum-Time Warner subscribers were getting dramatically short-changed on both speed and reliability.<\/p>\n

The Attorney General\u2019s Office looked into thousands of complaints from New York subscribers, including more than 300 from Western New York.<\/p>\n

The suit alleges that subscribers\u2019 wired Internet speeds for the premium plan (100, 200, and 300 Mbps) were up to 70 percent slower than promised; WiFi speeds were even slower, with some subscribers getting speeds that were more than 80 percent slower than what they had paid for. As alleged in the complaint, Spectrum-TWC charged New Yorkers as much as $109.99\u00a0per month for premium plans could not achieve speeds promised in their slower plans.<\/p>\n

Click here to read more about the lawsuit<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Attorney General Schneiderman\u2019s consumer alert\u00a0<\/a>provides consumers with a guide to asking the right questions in order to determine the appropriate Internet plan for their households needs. When choosing an Internet plan, consumers ask the following:<\/p>\n