Schneiderman: 'Spectrum-Time Warner Is Ripping You Off'
ALBANY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has filed a lawsuit against Charter Communications alleging that the cable and internet provider failed to deliver on promised internet speeds and reliability.
Charter's subsidiary, Spectrum, was previously known as Time Warner Cable.
The lawsuit claims the company failed to address network problems that led to slower-than-promised speeds. It seeks compensation for customers.
Schneiderman, a Democrat, detailed the lawsuit at a news conference Wednesday in New York City. The attorney general claims customers paying a premium for high-speed Internet haven't been getting what they paid for, WCBS 880's Peter Haskell reported.
"Our complaint quotes from internal corporate emails that show that company executives knew that their Internet service was often far slower than promised," Schneiderman said.
"It was an ongoing, conscious plan of deception at the corporate level," he added.
Schneiderman said his office received thousands of complaints from Spectrum Time Warner customers last year, 1010 WINS' Juliet Papa reported. Tests performed by the attorney general's office also concluded that Internet speeds were a much as 80 percent slower than advertised.
"The allegations in this lawsuit confirm what many of you have long suspected," Schneiderman said. "Spectrum Time Warner has been ripping you off."
Last year, Schneiderman's office asked Stamford, Connecticut-based Charter to fix the problems following its acquisition of Time Warner Cable.
In a statement, Charter says it is "disappointed'' that Schneiderman is suing the company over promises made by Time Warner before the acquisition. It says it's making "substantial'' investments to upgrade the system.
Schneiderman's office is seeking customer credit, and is also investigating other Internet providers.
The company is the largest Internet provider in the state, bringing in around $1 billion a year.
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