NY attorney general sues internet provider over speed claims

New York's attorney general has filed a lawsuit against Charter Communications alleging 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 company has 2.5 million customers in New York state.

The lawsuit filed late Tuesday claims that since 2012, the company failed to address network problems that led to internet speeds that were up to 70 percent slower than the speeds advertised in the company's "premium" plan. Schneiderman's suit claims Wi-Fi speeds also were slower than promised, with some subscribers getting speeds more than 80 percent slower than promised

"The allegations in today's lawsuit confirm what millions of New Yorkers have long suspected—Spectrum-Time Warner Cable has been ripping you off," Schneiderman said Wednesday.

In a statement, Charter said it is "disappointed" Schneiderman chose to sue the company over promises made by Time Warner before the acquisition.

"Charter has already made substantial investments in the interest of upgrading the Time Warner Cable systems and delivering the best possible experience to customers," the company said.

Schneiderman's office alleges Charter "continues to underserve" customers by failing to take steps, including network upgrades and replacement of "deficient" customer modems and routers.

The lawsuit is filed in state Supreme Court in Manhattan.

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