Riverside County sues Frontier Communications for alleged false advertising

Riverside County and federal prosecutors Wednesday filed suit against internet service provider Frontier Communications for alleged false advertising and other civil violations stemming from the company’s failure to provide customers with high-speed service.

The federal lawsuit, initiated by the Federal Trade Commission, was filed in U.S. District Court following a months-long investigation in California involving the FTC and the Riverside County DA’s Consumer Protection Unit.

Los Angeles County has joined in the civil action, as well as the California Department of Justice and attorneys general in Arizona, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina and Wisconsin.

Riverside County prosecutors allege Frontier offered customers various digital subscriber line “tiers” guaranteeing fast internet connectivity. However, going back to January 2015, complaints began flowing to Frontier and government agencies that the company was not delivering the promised connectivity, according to the DA’s office.

“Many consumers complained that slower internet speeds provided by Frontier failed to support typical online activities that should have been available at the speed tiers sold to them,” the agency said.

Frontier did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The FTC gathered evidence and ultimately determined that the Norwalk, Connecticut-based telecommunications company had allegedly violated the FTC Act.

In Riverside County, prosecutors found alleged violations of the state False Advertising Law and the Unfair Competition Law, both provisions of the Business & Professions Code.

No hearing dates have been set yet in the public interest lawsuit.