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Image: Mika Baumeister
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) today proposed an order requiring Connecticut-based Internet service provider Frontier Communications to stop “lying” to its customers and stand behind its high-speed Internet claims.
Under the proposed order filed today in the US District Court for the Central District of California, Frontier Communications must install fiber-optic Internet service to 60,000 residential locations in California over the next four years.
Frontier will also need to provide current customers with free and easy cancellations when they don’t deliver their promised Internet connection speeds as per the final stipulated order (PDF).
“Frontier lied about its speeds and scammed customers by charging high-speed prices for slow service,” said Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
“Today’s proposed order requires Frontier to support its high-speed claims. It also gives customers lured by Frontier’s lies easy and free options to cancel their slow service.”
The FTC order includes additional provisions that will put an end to the ISP’s prior claims and dishonest behavior:
- require Frontier to substantiate its Internet speed claims on a customer-by-customer basis for new and complaining customers, and notify customers when it is unable to do so;
- require Frontier to ensure that it can provide its advertised Internet service speeds before signing up, upgrading, or billing new customers;
- prohibit Frontier from registering new customers for its DSL Internet service in areas where the large number of users sharing the same network equipment causes congestion, resulting in slower Internet service; Y
- require the company to notify existing customers that they receive DSL Internet service at lower than advertised speeds and allow those customers to change or cancel their service without charge.
Today’s proposed order follows a complaint from May 2021 (PDF), when the FTC sued Frontier, alleging that it had failed to provide many of its customers with the maximum speeds promised.
Some of them filed complaints that the Internet connection provided by Frontier was barely usable, making it “difficult to participate in typical online activities.”
To make matters worse, in many cases, Frontier’s internet service is the only one available in the area and switching to another provider for better connectivity isn’t always an option.
“The complaint alleges that Frontier violated the FTC Act and various state laws by misrepresenting the speeds of Internet service it would provide to consumers and engaged in unfair billing practices by charging consumers for a more expensive level of Internet service. than he was actually toasting,” the FTC said. he said at the time.
According to the FTC, today’s order will have the force of law after it is approved and signed by the District Court judge.
Frontier did not respond to a request for comment when contacted by BleepingComputer earlier today.
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