Attorney General William Tong announced a $60 million settlement with Norwalk-headquartered Frontier Communications that will expand high-speed internet access to lower-income communities while addressing its fee structure.
Tong”™s office and the state”™s Department of Consumer Protection responded to more than 1,400 consumer complaints regarding”™s Frontier”™s service, with customers pointing out poor internet quality, unsatisfactory customer service and excessive charges.
As part of the settlement, Frontier will invest $42.5 million over the next 3.5 years to upgrade existing, outdated DSL internet service to fiber internet, with at least half of those upgrades be made in economically distressed urban and rural communities. The agreement also forces Frontier to stop collecting a hidden $6.99 monthly “Internet Infrastructure Surcharge” and to make a $1 million payment to the state and put up $200,000 for credits and refunds to consumers who filed complaints about this surcharge starting in 2019.
The agreement imposes new accountability measures over the next six years, including new price and billing disclosures, advertisement disclosures that address the company”™s DSL representations, requirements that the company deliver promised speeds or provide options for consumers who do not receive promised speeds, and assurances that the company will implement transparent and fair cancellation and equipment return processes.
“Frontier failed Connecticut consumers,” said Tong. “Their DSL internet quality was slow and unreliable, and their customer service was unacceptable. They tacked on hidden fees, charged families for returned equipment, and kept charging customers even after services had been cancelled. That ends now.”
Tong also called on Connecticut residents to contact his office if they remain unsatisfied with Frontier”™s service.
