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AG Schneiderman asks internet companies for evidence that NYers get service they pay for – Metro US

AG Schneiderman asks internet companies for evidence that NYers get service they pay for

AG Schneiderman asks internet companies for evidence that NYers get service
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Yet another New York official wants to make sure that internet service providers across the five boroughs are actually coming through with the speeds residents pay for.

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman office reached out to major telecommunications companies Time Warner, Verizon and Cablevision over the weekend to asking for proof of their practices since January 2011.

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“New Yorkers deserve the internet speeds they pay for,” Schneiderman said in a statement. “But, it turns out, many of us may be paying for one thing, and getting another.”

The attorney general said that New York City families already pay “a huge cost already for internet access” and that he would “not tolerate a situation in which they aren’t getting what they have been promised.”

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In the letters, Schneiderman’s team askedeach company to break down how many customers purchase the different packages, provide customer complaints and for any evidence that can prove each company actually provides the internet speed customers pay monthly services for.

The attorney general’s office requested the documents by Nov. 8 and are invited to meet with representatives for Schneiderman afterwards.

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In a statement to Metro, a spokeswoman for Cablevision said their service “consistently surpasses advertised broadband speeds, including in FCC and internal tests. We are happy to provide any necessary performance information to the Attorney General as we do to our customers.”

The letters comes shortly after the city council raked Verizon officials over what lawmakers argued was a break of contract with the city given the company’s promise to make their FiOS service accessible to all city households.

In September, city Comptroller Scott Stringer reported about 74 percent of households across the city have broadband internet, with about 813,000 New Yorkers left without any access at home.

This story was updated on Monday at 10:40 a.m. with a statement from Cablevision.