User data submitted to the FCC indicates that Charter Communications is once again struggling to meet the company's advertised broadband speeds. The FCC has long utilized a company by the name of SamKnows to track real-world broadband network performance using customer firmware-embedded routers in the homes of thousands of volunteers. Stop the Cap notes that while Charter's own speedtests don't show any problems, objective data indicates Charter is struggling to meet demand in some markets.
"A closer examination of daily speed test results over the last year show that while ordinary speed tests using Charter-hosted speed test servers or websites don’t always show a problem, independent tests of network traffic performance in areas bypassed for upgrades are showing signs of traffic jams," notes the website.
While Charter promised the moon, sea and stars when it was selling regulators on its planned acquisition of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, the company actually froze many ongoing speed upgrades at these acquired companies post merger. Charter also recently found itself on the receiving end of a lawsuit by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who accused the company of knowing full well that it was advertising speeds it technically couldn't deliver.
"During the last quarter of daily periodic testing, a customer that used to subscribe to Time Warner Cable’s 50/5Mbps service and routinely got those speeds no longer does after switching to Charter/Spectrum’s 60Mbps plan," notes the website.
"Customers question where the bottleneck is, because when they test broadband speeds using the company’s own test tools, they usually find their broadband speeds are above what is advertised," the site adds. "But independent, regularly conducted speed tests by third-party organizations reveal problems. One customer noted for the month of July, he received a minimum of 27.3Mbps, a maximum of 70.1Mbps, but an average of only 47.6Mbps from Spectrum’s basic 60Mbps plan -- less than what he was able to get from Time Warner Cable’s 50Mbps Ultimate Internet."
Charter customers: have you seen better or worse network performance in the wake of Charter's latest blockbuster megadeal?
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