NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman yesterday, Feb. 1, announced a lawsuit against Charter Communications Inc. and its subsidiary Spectrum - Time Warner Cable on the grounds that they allegedly have been conducting a deliberate scheme to defraud and mislead New Yorkers by promising internet service that they knowingly could not provide.

The suit filed by Schneiderman alleges that since January 2012 Spectrum - Time Warner Cable’s marketing promised subscribers that they would receive a “fast, reliable connection” to the internet from anywhere in their home.

A 16-month investigation by the Attorney General’s office consisting of corporate communications and a number of subscriber speed tests found that Spectrum - Time Warner subscribers were getting “dramatically short-changed on both speed and reliability.”

“The allegations in today’s lawsuit confirm what millions of New Yorkers have long suspected -- Spectrum-Time Warner Cable has been ripping you off,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “Today’s action seeks to bring much-needed relief to the millions of New Yorkers we allege have been getting cheated by Spectrum-Time Warner Cable for far too long. Even now, Spectrum-Time Warner Cable continues to offer Internet speeds that we found they cannot reliably deliver.”