Prosecutor to Internet providers: Prove speed claims

ALBANY, N.Y. -- New York's attorney general suspects there's little difference between broadband's fast lanes and the slower freight of ordinary Internet access.

In letters to the state's three major Internet providers, the attorney general has asked them to validate claims their customers are getting the access speeds promised.

The agency said it's concerned Time Warner, Verizon and Cablevision subscribers might not be getting the speeds advertised. In letters Friday, senior enforcement counsel Tim Wu wrote the office has authority to subpoena documents and take legal action to stop deceptive business practices, requesting detailed information by Nov. 8. Wu wrote the office had two concerns.

The first is the speeds in the so-called last mile -- the wiring closest to subscribers -- "may deviate far enough from the speeds advertised to render the advertising deceptive," he wrote.

The second is the quality of connections between the three providers and sites such as Yahoo or Netflix. There have been many consumer complaints, officials said.

Cablevision Systems Corp. said Monday it will be happy to provide information to the attorney general. Time Warner Cable Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. didn't respond to requests for comment.