Charter Spectrum issues bring residents to Anthony Brindisi's Binghamton office

High prices and slow internet speeds are among the major complaints Southern Tier residents have with Spectrum Cable — if they're able to get coverage at all, they say. 

On Monday, Rep. Anthony Brindisi listened as local residents voiced their concerns about the area's cable and internet provider. 

"The state needs to act on Spectrum, and they need to act now," said Brindisi, a Utica Democrat who represents New York's 22nd Congressional District. "Consumers continue to get squeezed by higher prices and poorer internet service.

"At the federal level, I'm going to continue to push this new bill that we're sponsoring to try and have more oversight over these cable companies."

Over the past few years, Charter Communications Inc. and its Spectrum cable television unit have increased prices and promised faster internet speeds than it has been able to provide, critics say. This has left portions of the state without sufficient internet access, and Brindisi has focused much of his political campaign on the company.

In December, state Attorney General Barbara Underwood announced that Charter Spectrum would have to pay $174.2 million in a consumer fraud settlement after the company failed to meet deadlines.

More:Brindisi: Charter Spectrum can shape up or get out

On March 6, Charter Spectrum was granted another extension on its deadline to expand high-speed internet to New York's rural areas. Brindisi said he wants these extensions to stop. 

Brindisi was joined Monday by three local residents at his office at the Metro Center in Binghamton. They shared their stories about slow internet speeds, high cable bills and issues dealing with Spectrum's customer service providers. 

"After the first 12 months, it went from around $89 to $125," said Laura Lutz, who works for an online chocolate company in her home in Binghamton. "I work from home, so I need internet service. I can do without television, but the internet I need."

Lutz showed Brindisi all of the mailers and promotional information Spectrum has mailed her recently. Lutz said that while she was being charged $125 a month, she said a neighbor was paying the company around $40 each month for similar service.

"I don't have a problem with Spectrum's billing, because I couldn't get Spectrum if I wanted to," said Nina Simmonds, who runs Windy Hill horse farm in the Town of Binghamton, where she is unable to get cable and high-speed internet. "I need internet; my horses go all over the state and all over the country, and it's really hard when you can't get messages and you can't get a phone line."

Simmonds said Spectrum told her it would cost $17,500 to add services to her address.

Earlier this month, Brindisi introduced the Transparency for Cable Consumers Act in Congress. The act would require companies that have been fined by a state Public Service Commission to file an annual report with the Federal Communications Commission.

► Read the bill at the end of this story.

The report would need to include what the average amount people in each county are being billed for cable and internet, as well as the average speed of the internet, and a list of additional fees that have appeared on customer bills. 

Brindisi said a major issue with the state's cable and internet system is that there is little to no competition between providers. Customers across much of upstate New York do not have the option to switch service providers if they have issues with their current provider. 

"Really, what we're looking for here is more oversight at the federal level with the FCC," Brindisi said. "There's no choice in cable providers anymore. You have one company you can go with, and if that company is taking advantage of you, you're really left with no options."

Brindisi said he has heard thousands of stories from the people of upstate New York who have had issues with their cable or internet. Additionally, the public can share experiences they have had with cable and internet providers on Brindisi's Congressional website. 

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