Frontier misled subscribers about Internet speeds and prices, AG finds
Washington state AG forces Frontier Northwest to clearly disclose prices, speeds. …
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Frontier Communications misled thousands of customers about the prices it charges and about the speeds its broadband network can provide, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office has found.
The state’s investigation of Frontier’s business practices found evidence of the telecom “failing to adequately disclose taxes and fees during sales of cable, Internet, and telephone services; failing to adequately disclose its Internet Infrastructure Surcharge fee in advertising; misleading consumers by implying that the Internet Infrastructure Surcharge and other fees are mandatory and/or government-related fees; and misleading consumers as to Internet speeds it could offer, and failing to deliver speeds and service as advertised.”
The findings are described in a settlement that will force Frontier Communications to pay a $900,000 fine and force the new owner of Frontier’s network in Washington state to change its business practices. Among other things, the settlement requires Frontier’s current owner in Washington to stop charging the $3.99-per-month Internet Infrastructure Surcharge. The company “neither admits nor denies the State’s findings.” The settlement still needs court approval before it can take effect.
The offending business practices began before Frontier Communications’ May 2020 sale of its operations in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana to Northwest Fiber, also known as Ziply Fiber. The settlement document refers to the company as both “Frontier Communications” and “Frontier Northwest.” The company has about 165,000 Internet customers in Washington state, mostly in rural areas.
Frontier Communications itself still operates in 25 other states; the company filed for bankruptcy in
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