Man Yelling at Computer (Photo : Twitter)
Because of the perception that internet service providers (ISPs) are fleecing their customers by advertising a certain Internet speed which is slower in reality, the New York attorney general has initiated an investigation.
As part of the probe, NY AG Eric Schneiderman is asking internet users in New York to test their speeds and provide their findings to his office, reports TechTimes. He initiated the investigation in October which focuses on interconnection agreements between ISPs that allows data exchange.
In a statement, the AG says, "New Yorkers should get the Internet speed they pay for. Too many of us may be paying for one thing, and getting another." He adds, "Families pay a huge cost for Internet access in New York, so I will not tolerate a situation in which they aren't getting what they have been promised."
The investigation focuses on three major internet providers in the Big Apple, reports Reuters. These are Verizon Communications, Cablevision Systems Corp. and Time Warne Cable which were asked to give the AG copies of all disclosures these ISPs provided their customers and copies of tests the firms did on their internet speed.
Verizon declined to comment on the probe, while Cablevision spokesman Charlie Shueler claimed its Optimum Online service consistently goes beyond its advertised broadband speeds. Time Warner spokesman Bobby Amirshahi likewise expressed confidence it could provide subscribers the speed and services it promised them.
Schneiderman cites a 2014 study by Measurement Lab Consortium that found internet speed of customers suffer "at points where their broadband providers connected with long haul internet traffic carriers including Cogent Communications Group Inc."
