Oregon Department of Justice

Attorney General Files Agreement With Internet Service Provider Whose High Speed Wasn't As Advertised

Attorney General Hardy Myers today filed an agreement with a Missouri-based Internet service provider resolving complaints from consumers in the Silverton-Mt. Angel area concerning the slowness of its advertised high speed Internet service. Named in an Assurance of voluntary Compliance (AVC) filed in the Marion County Circuit Court is Falcon Cable Systems Company II, L.P., a company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri with Charter Communications VII, LLC also of St. Louis as its general partner and Charter Communications, Inc. as its manager. Falcon holds Charter franchises in both Oregon towns. The settlement admits no law violation.

"Falcon Cable promised high speed Internet services in order to sign up new customers eager for more mega-bites of speed," Myers said. "The orders overwhelmed the company and the complaints came in faster than the consumers could download or upload."

Under the agreement, Falcon Cable will issue an additional $35 credit to an earlier offered $70 credit to all potentially impacted customers. A total of $68,960 in credit will be remitted to customers. Falcon also paid $4,500 to the Department of Justice Consumer Protection and Education Fund.

In addition, the company can only advertise Internet connection speeds which it can reasonably expect to provide and it must state that Internet connection speeds are variable.