Lawsuit Alleges Slow Internet Connections
H O U S T O N, Aug. 18 -- A group of Houston-area Internet users has fileda lawsuit against SBC Communications Inc. and its subsidiaries,including Southwestern Bell, alleging the telecommunications giantintentionally is slowing the speeds at which customers can connectto the Internet.
At issue are high-speed digital subscriber lines, or DSLs, whichallow Internet users to connect much faster than standard modemlines. DSLs also enable ordinary telephone lines to handle regularphone calls and high-speed data at the same time.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Corpus Christi, Texas, allegesSBC intentionally lowered the access rate to e-mail and newsgroupsby two-thirds of the promised rate through its DSL service withoutnotifying customers or giving any discount for the inferiorservice.
Slower Than Advertised
The lawsuit was filed by Thomas McLaughlin, president ofHouston-based Net Help Solutions — a computer technical supportcompany — after he discovered the rate discrepancy when he rantests on his equipment, said McLaughlin’s attorney, Geoffrey Berg.
McLaughlin determined his connection rate to e-mail andnewsgroups was at 128 kilobits per second while SBC guaranteed aminimum access rate of 384 kilobits per second.
“If your business is on the Internet, you really feel this,”Berg said. “It’s more than just an annoyance. In order to allowgrowth to continue, SBC and its affiliated companies must be ableto provide enough room, or bandwidth, for new customers.
“What they’re doing today is limiting connection speeds inareas where people are less likely to notice. This allows thedefendants to effectively resell the same bandwidth that they aresupposed to be providing to existing customers.”
SBC released a statement Thursday saying it could not comment onthe lawsuit because it had not yet reviewed it in detail butdefended the speed of its DSL service.
“It is important to understand that SBC’s DSL service deliversthe speeds as guaranteed, which covers the connection rate betweena customer’s computer and the SBC central office,” the companysaid.
