Attorney General Tong Files Expanded Complaint Against Altice Detailing $39.1 Million in Bait-And-Switch Junk Fees Charged to Connecticut Consumers

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11/06/2025

Attorney General Tong Files Expanded Complaint Against Altice Detailing $39.1 Million in Bait-And-Switch Junk Fees Charged to Connecticut Consumers

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong today announced an expanded complaint against Altice/Optimum Online, detailing how the company’s deceptive advertisements intentionally misled Spanish speakers and unlawfully reaped at least $39.1 million in bait-and-switch “Network Enhancement” junk fees from Connecticut consumers.

The complaint alleges numerous violations of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act and seeks penalties and disgorgement of all revenues achieved through unfair and deceptive acts and practices.

“Altice lied to their customers, and we are holding them accountable. Altice advertised lifetime deals, while knowingly burying hidden junk fees that raked in at least $39.1 million in added costs. They inexcusably and shockingly sought to mislead Spanish-speaking consumers with Spanish-language marketing featuring buried disclosures in English-language fine print. We’ve received huge numbers of complaints from frustrated and misled consumers. Today’s amended complaint brings additional damning details to our claims and shows that we are prepared to aggressively pursue this case to ensure fair, honest service for Connecticut consumers,” said Attorney General Tong.

Since at least January 2019, Altice has charged Connecticut consumers a monthly “Network Enhancement Fee,” which has increased over time from $2.50 per month to $6.00 per month. In total, Altice has collected at least $39.1 million from Connecticut consumers through the fee, over and above the regular monthly Internet service charge. For new customers, the fee was not disclosed up front, and appeared only in the shopping cart after a consumer selects an Internet service. Altice has claimed without evidence that the fee is necessary to “maintain and improve the network”—a basic business function that customers already pay for in the base rate. Altice is unable to point to any specific, identifiable benefit that subscribers received in exchange for paying the fee. The fee is instead a deceptive mechanism to conceal a price increase while advertising artificially low prices.

The amended complaint highlights multiple deceptive advertisements. In one August 2019 ad, Altice pushed a $64.99 “price for life” for its Altice One + Internet product. The company stated: “Get the lifetime deal that actually lasts a lifetime. Switch to Optimum and get Altice One + Internet for $64.99/mo. FOR LIFE! That means $64.99 will always be $64.99, not for one year or two years, but for as long as you are customer.” But that was untrue. The price was in fact $64.99 plus the Network Enhancement Fee, which increased from $2.50 to $6.00 per month.

Customers were not happy. One complained to the Office of the Attorney General reporting that he signed up for Optimum with a “price for life” and then noticed the fee. He reported he was never informed that Altice “could make up new fees and increase the price anyways.”

“The NEF is not an additional monthly charge or fee that consumers might expect, or choose, to pay. It is not a tax or government fee that Defendant must pass on to a regulatory body. It is not a charge for an extra product like a Wi-Fi extender or modem. It is a charge added on by Altice, at Altice’s discretion, that all consumers had to pay each month, for which they received no identifiable benefit in exchange, and about which they were not straightforwardly notified,” the complaint states.

The complaint further details deceptive and misleading Spanish-language marketing. In Spanish-language advertisements, Altice promised deals and fast service. While the offer and selling points are all in Spanish, the Network Enhancement Fee, equipment charges and other factors that could lower the “super-fast” speed Altice advertised were all buried in English fine print.

The Office of the Attorney General first launched its investigation into Altice Optimum in November 2022, following more than 500 consumer complaints regarding hidden fees, poor technical support, and slow internet speeds.

This complaint follows a settlement reached in August 2022 with Frontier Communications following review of over 1,400 consumer complaints regarding equipment returns, poor internet quality, unsatisfactory customer service, and excessive charges.

Assistant Attorneys General Rebecca Quinn, Katherine Hagmann-Borenstein, Caroline McCormack, and Deputy Associate Attorney General Michael Wertheimer, Chief of the Consumer Protection Section, are assisting the Attorney General in this matter.

Twitter: @AGWilliamTong

Facebook: CT Attorney General

Media Contact:

Elizabeth Benton
elizabeth.benton@ct.gov

Consumer Inquiries:

860-808-5318
attorney.general@ct.gov