Penalty Amount
$1,000,000
Connecticut Attorney General settled with Frontier Communications over deceptive marketing, hidden fees, and poor service. The $60 million settlement requires Frontier to invest $42.5 million in fiber upgrades for 40,000 households in distressed areas, end a $6.99 monthly surcharge, pay $1 million to the state, and provide $200,000 in consumer refunds. Frontier must also improve customer service, billing disclosures, and service quality guarantees over six years.
Frontier must pay $1 million to Connecticut, provide $200,000 in refunds to affected consumers, invest $42.5 million to upgrade internet infrastructure in economically distressed communities, eliminate the hidden $6.99 monthly surcharge, and implement comprehensive reforms including new billing and advertising disclosures, speed guarantees, and improved cancellation and equipment return processes. The agreement is enforceable for six years with penalties for non-compliance.
In-house legal teams should review all customer-facing service agreements for internet/telecom services, including residential service contracts, terms of service, and billing schedules. Focus on clauses governing fees and surcharges (to eliminate ambiguous or hidden charges), marketing and sales representations (to ensure accuracy and prevent deception), service quality and performance guarantees (to establish measurable standards), billing and disclosure provisions (for transparency), and cancellation/termination terms (to prevent improper charges post-cancellation). Revisions should include clear, itemized billing, removal of undisclosed fees, explicit service level commitments, and robust customer service protocols.
Entity
Frontier Communications
Also known as: Frontier
Industry
TelecommunicationsOfficial Press Release
https://portal.ct.gov/ag/press-releases/2022-press-releases/attorney-general-tong-announces-settlement-with-frontier-communications
frontier stipulation judgment 83122.pdf?rev=16f5b7212b6e4d1d
https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/ag/press_releases/2022/frontier-stipulation-judgment_83122.pdf?rev=16f5b7212b6e4d1daceb2a51465a5bac&hash=B7F49C334B2AFEB394204580AFAE2076
Connecticut Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://portal.ct.gov/AG/Privacy/Privacy-Resources
$2.0M
Attorney General Tong and a coalition of four other states and the FTC sued Zillow and Redfin after Zillow paid Redfin $100 million to shut down its multifamily rental advertising business and transfer clients to Zillow. The settlement requires the companies to restore competition, with Redfin rebuilding its apartment advertising business, and pay $2 million to the coalition.
Attorney General William Tong sent a letter to the Connecticut Insurance Department urging rejection of double-digit rate increases sought by Anthem, ConnectiCare, and UnitedHealthcare for individual and small group health insurance plans covering about 220,000 people. The letter argues the rates exceed inflationary measures and criticizes the carriers for failing to control costs and for poor claims system management, particularly ConnectiCare's transition to Molina Healthcare.
$275K
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced a $275,000 settlement with TaxAct, an online tax preparation company, over allegations that between January 2018 and December 2022, TaxAct improperly disclosed detailed customer financial information to Meta and Google through third-party tracking technologies without notifying taxpayers. The settlement requires TaxAct to pay $275,000 and implement new third-party tracking compliance measures, including a review committee, written policies, a tag monitoring system, and two independent third-party audits.
$4.0M
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and the Federal Trade Commission announced a $4 million settlement with Manchester City Nissan (Chase Nissan LLC) resolving allegations that the dealership double-charged for 'certified pre-owned' vehicles and collected unauthorized junk fees. The settlement requires payment for consumer redress, prohibits misrepresentations, mandates clear disclosure of the maximum total price, and requires express informed consent for all charges.
Attorney General Tong and a coalition of 21 attorneys general and Pennsylvania filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Transportation, FMCSA, and DHS to block demands for the personal information of 17 million CDL drivers. The lawsuits allege violations of federal privacy laws and the Administrative Procedure Act, and seek an emergency order to prevent the data transfer.
Attorney General William Tong and a coalition of 10 attorneys general filed a lawsuit challenging a new OCC rule that preempts state laws requiring national banks to pay interest on homeowners' mortgage escrow accounts. The lawsuit argues the OCC ignored federal court decisions and bypassed safeguards, and seeks to block the rule.