NEW YORK –Attorneys General Letitia James of New York, William Tong of Connecticut, and Matthew Platkin of New Jersey last week demanded automatic refunds be made to customers of Altice USA who have been denied access to MSG Networks cable channels due to Optimum’s blackouts.
In January, Attorney General James called on Optimum, which is owned by Altice USA, and MSG to quickly resolve contract negotiations so New Yorkers would not be impacted by service disruptions. As a result of a contract dispute between Altice and MSG, Optimum cable consumers have been blocked from accessing MSG stations, leaving residents in the tri-state area who paid extra for these sports channels unable to watch them.
In a Feb. 5 letter to Optimum’s owner, Altice, the attorneys general demanded automatic refunds for customers who have been denied access to the MSG channels they paid for as part of their cable plans.
“New York sports fans are being put in the penalty box, forced to shell out their hard-earned money for television channels they cannot even watch,” said Attorney General James. “Optimum customers have paid for channels to watch their home sports teams, but their cable company is not offering these channels while charging them anyway.”
Attorney General Tong wants both sides to get back to the negotiating table as soon as possible.
“Optimum and MSG need to stop the posturing and get back to the table,” Tong said. “Figure it out and let us watch our sports in peace. In the meantime, consumers are paying for sports they can’t watch and they are owed immediate refunds without hassle.”
Altice removed access to MSG channels for its Optimum cable plan customers beginning in January. MSG channels, which provide exclusive coverage of the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, and Buffalo Sabres have remained blacked out since Jan. 1.
Earlier in the process, Connecticut Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff of Norwalk and fellow Democratic Fairfield County senators issued a joint call to Altice and MSG to resolve their ongoing dispute.
“We will not take any side in this dispute except that of our constituents, who pay significant amounts of money for the content you both provide but cannot view the athletic events that give them joy,” the senators stated in their joint letter to Altice Chairman and CEO Dennis Mathew and MSG Entertainment Executive Chairman and CEO James Dolan.
In January, Attorney General James alerted both Optimum and MSG that her office would monitor the ongoing contract situation closely to ensure New York customers received the services they were paying for. Both companies are based in New York City.
In the letter to Altice, the attorneys general demand automatic refunds for impacted customers who paid for Optimum cable plans and were denied access to the channels they paid for.
“We urge Optimum and MSG to resolve their dispute and end the blackout so that New Jersey consumers can once again access the services they paid for to watch their favorite local teams play,” said New Jersey Attorney General Platkin.
