NEW YORK—Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced his office has launched an online form where New Yorkers can test and then submit data on the Internet speeds they are receiving at home. In October, the Attorney General sent letters to Time Warner Cable, Verizon and Cablevision asking for documents related to whether the Internet speeds they advertise are actually what households are receiving. The new online test is an opportunity for consumers to discover whether the advertised speeds are accurate.

“New Yorkers should get the Internet speeds they pay for. Too many of us may be paying for one thing, and getting another,” Attorney General Schneiderman said. “By conducting these tests, consumers can uncover whether they are receiving the Internet speeds they have paid for.”

Full instructions for taking the broadband test can be viewed here.

The test at Internethealthtest.org provides a customer’s “throughput” Internet speeds – the speeds at which customers actually reach content on the Internet. Once a test has been taken on Internethealthtest.org, consumers can submit a screenshot of the results to the Attorney General’s office by filling out the online form on the webpage.

"Common Cause/NY applauds Attorney General Schneiderman for setting up this testing site to help New Yorkers hold their Internet providers accountable to provide access at the ‎speed promised,"said Susan Lerner, Executive Director, Common Cause/NY. No individual New Yorker acting alone can influence the giant telecom companies that conrol broadband in our state, so the Attorney General's investigation is very welcome and we look forward to helping gather the necessary data."

“As Consumer Reports has pointed out, internet speeds can vary considerably, and consumers do not always get the ‘blazingly fast’ internet speeds they are are paying for,” said Chuck Bell, Programs Director for Consumers Union. “We have heard from dozens of customers in New York who are concerned that they are not getting the internet speeds promised by internet providers. We therefore welcome and applaud Attorney General Schneiderman’s statewide investigation to ensure consumers are getting the full benefit of what they are paying for.”

The letters sent to the Internet providers in October asked for the companies to provide documents related to the number of customers receiving different levels of Internet services, disclosures made to actual or potential broadband customers concerning actual or expected Internet speeds, and other documents related to Internet speeds and interconnection agreements.