AG Tong raises concern on Optimum plan to slash internet speeds

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has called on Optimum to either drop or delay its proposed reduction of cable internet speeds for new subscribers.

Under the plan, new Optimum customers will see their upload speeds slashed from 35Mbps to as low as 5Mbps beginning on July 12. The changes will impact Optimum customers serviced by the company”™s older non-fiber network.

Existing customers will not be impacted unless they change their internet cable service plan and download speeds will remain unchanged.

In a press statement, Tong referred to Optimum”™s proposal as an “ill-timed, anti-consumer plan” and complained that the company is disrupting an already uneven digital playing field.

“Optimum”™s plan not only raises prices on essential broadband services, it further exacerbates the ”˜digital divide”™ in Connecticut at a time when the continuing coronavirus pandemic has made more families reliant on their broadband service than ever,” Tong said in a letter to the company.

“It is simply unconscionable to raise rates on Connecticut families when they both need broadband internet the most and are least able to bear higher cost for adequate service.”

Tong called on the company to either cancel its plan or postpone it for a year until the public health and economic tumult created by the Covid-19 pandemic has fully passed. He also requested information from Optimum on how it is explaining these changes to its customers.

Optimum responded to Tong”™s concerns with a press statement that insisted the “new cable internet tiers are consistent with those offered by other internet providers and our pricing remains competitive so customers can get the experience they need at a good value.”