Everybody loves to hate their internet service provider, but few ISPs have been the source of as much anger as Charter - at least, in New York.
If you weren't aware, the company has been locked in a bitter legal dispute with New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood for some time now, due to complaints that the ISP had been "defrauding" its customers and providing poor service.
That battle is finally over now, as Charter has signed a settlement agreement with Underwood. The total amount Charter will need to shell out for damages come in at around $174.2 million. That sum is comprised of $62.5 million in direct customer refunds, as well as free streaming services and "premium channels."
The refunds are going out to around 700,000 subscribers (each of which will only get $75-$150), whereas the freebies will be offered to 2.2 million subscribers.
"This settlement should serve as a wakeup call to any company serving New York consumers: fulfill your promises, or pay the price," Underwood said in a statement. She went on to note that her settlement with Charter is the "largest-ever consumer payout" by an ISP in US history.
Underwood's settlement doesn't stop with refunds and free channels, though. It also forces Charter to implement a "series of precedent-setting marketing and business reforms."
Though the full breadth of those reforms isn't clear, they will reportedly include "the requirement to describe internet speeds as 'wired,'" and to "substantiate" them through frequent internet speed tests.