New York AG Investigating Verizon and other ISPs for Internet Speed Fraud

Has Verizon been promising consumers faster Internet speed than it's been delivering?

That is what the New York State Attorney General's Office wants to find out in a far reaching probe of Internet service providers in the state announced by Tim Wu, a senior enforcement counsel in the AG's office, this week.

"This office is concerned that, for reasons substantially within Verizon's control, consumers may not be experiencing the speeds advertised," Wu said, contending that Verizon, Time Warner Cable and Cablevision are misleading customers with slower-than-advertised speeds.

In a still ongoing investigation, the Federal Communications Commission is also questioning the companies for their download speeds.

"New Yorkers deserve the internet speeds they pay for. But, it turns out, many of us may be paying for one thing, and getting another," Attorney General Eric 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."

Investigators are particularly concerned whether customers who pay for premium Internet packages are receiving the speeds that are advertised. Wu asked the companies to respond to several questions about their policies by Nov. 8.