We all know the problem: You pay for one impressive-sounding broadband speed but you actually get a much less impressive speed. Now, New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman and his new teammate Tim Wu are doing something about the problem. They’re investigating!
In a letter last week, Wu told Verizon, Time Warner Cable, and Cablevision that he was “specifically concerned about the disruptions to the consumer experience caused by interconnection disputes.” The specific plans in question are the so-called premium options that promise customers the fastest speeds. (In this blogger’s experience, Time Warner Cable’s fastest plan never gets close to the advertised speeds.)
“Many of us may be paying for one thing, and getting another,” Schneiderman said in a statement. “Families pay a huge cost already for Internet access in New York, so I will not tolerate a situation in which they aren’t getting what they have been promised.”
Although he’s best known for coining the term “net neutrality,” Wu now serves as Schneiderman’s new senior enforcement counsel. He’s not wasting any time holding big broadband companies accountable, either. Wu’s only been on the job a month. Imagine what he could do in a year.
Image via Flickr.