Connecticut attorney general launches probe into Optimum Altice internet - Connecticut Public

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has launched an probe into Optimum Altice for allegedly misrepresenting its net services.

The announcement Monday comes aft his bureau received astir 500 user complaints astir dilatory net and hidden fees going backmost to 2017.

“The overwhelming fig of complaints subordinate to consumers who person not received advertised speeds for Optimum 300 megabits per 2nd and Optimum 400 megabits per second, cablegram net plans they paid for,” Tong said.

He said these issues peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic, a clip erstwhile entree to the net was captious to day-to-day life.

“The net is truthful important to america successful each facet of our lives now,” Tong said. “And radical person been capable to beryllium to themselves and to america that they paid for 300 oregon 400 megabits per 2nd and they’re not getting that.”

Multiple customers recovered they were not receiving their net velocity that they paid for aft moving velocity tests. A lawsuit with a compromised immune strategy reported that her net ran arsenic debased arsenic 16 megabits per 2nd — acold beneath the net velocity they paid for.

Consumers said they were besides charged for assistance services contempt their net problems not being resolved. This probe volition besides find if Optimum Altice has been knowingly charging customers with hidden further fees and addressing their mediocre method support.

"Altice shares the state’s extremity of ensuring Connecticut residents and businesses person high-quality work and person a affirmative lawsuit experience. That is wherefore Altice has been investing crossed Connecticut, gathering and deploying a 100% Optimum Fiber broadband web that provides reliable infrastructure and symmetrical net services to our communities and customers," an Optimum Altice spokesperson said successful a statement.

The institution said Connecticut was 1 of the archetypal areas wherever multi-gigabit speeds were launched earlier this twelvemonth to conscionable broadband needs of customers. It besides offers the Affordable Connectivity Program, which provides escaped high-speed net service.

"We are arrogant to service our Connecticut communities and volition cooperate with authorities officials to supply applicable information," the spokesperson said.

The net and cablegram supplier has been investigated for akin issues successful different states. In 2021, New Jersey launched its ain probe into Optimum Altice’s mediocre net prime aft receiving hundreds of complaints since 2016. The Asbury Park Press reports net services would spell down for hours successful the authorities and net speeds would perpetually fluctuate. Altice claimed that these issues were owed to a 40% summation successful mean information usage owed to enactment and schools going virtual during the highest of the pandemic.

Marilyn Davis, elder manager for authorities affairs astatine Altice USA, told the Asbury Park Press that, “As a effect of the pandemic and different events, 2020 presented unsocial and unprecedented challenges for Altice arsenic it did for different companies and individuals crossed the nation." However, New Jersey officials recovered that these net work issues occurred adjacent earlier the pandemic began.

Tong anticipates the probe whitethorn effect successful a settlement. Connecticut received $60 cardinal successful payments from Frontier Communications earlier this year. Frontier failed to present advertised net speed, charged hidden further fees, and charged customers for instrumentality they had already returned oregon for services they had canceled.

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