Action 9: High-speed internet that doesn't deliver

ORLANDO, Fla. — Action 9 is investigating internet offers that promise high speeds, but then don't deliver.

“How frustrating is it?” asked Todd Ulrich.

“It can be very frustrating,” said Rachel Bragg.

Bragg paid extra for high-speed internet but constantly hit speed bumps downloading movies or when her kids were playing games.

“And it will cut out, or the spinning circle,” said Bragg.

Bragg paid Spectrum's fast rate for 100 megabits per second. But when she started running her own tests, she found it delivering just 10 or 15 megabits.

“I was shocked that it was that low,” she said.

Jorine Robinson bought a high-tech doorbell alarm system that required high-speed internet for its live streaming to work and keep her home safe. That never happened.

“Well that makes me upset,” said Robinson.

Robinson paid for CenturyLink's high speed, but she said it was so slow the alarm system couldn't even be installed. At her home, our test found that day she was getting nine megabits.

“If I buy something, I expect to be able to use it,” said Robinson.

Action 9 checked internet speed complaints sent to the FCC from Florida consumers. Overall, internet complaints are down, but the percentage of high speed complaints is way up.

If consumers are paying high-speed rates but when streaming or downloading they still get buffering, experts said they should start making their case. Consumers should run speed tests that are available online at home and turn off devices draining broadband, like smart TVs and alarm systems.

Experts said consumers shouldn’t expect to see anywhere close to 100Mbps at peak times. “You should expect anywhere from 40 to 60 percent at high-traffic times, bare minimum,” said Tommy Orndorf with Bayshore Interactive.

Even if the customer’s contract says up to 100 megabits, our expert said test results at Bragg’s and Robinson's homes should trigger a company response or an FCC complaint.

“You're definitely not getting what you paid for. There's something wrong somewhere,” said Orndorf.

After Bragg complained, Spectrum changed equipment serving her home and her speed improved.

“I'm putting a lot of money into their service and I'm not getting what they're promising,” said Bragg.

Spectrum and CenturyLink told Ulrich they investigate speed complaints and work with customers to improve their services.

New York's attorney general sued Charter Communications, claiming its high-speed service was up to 70 percent slower than advertised.

Spectrum response:

"We’ve been working with Rachel Bragg and have replaced some outside wiring and her modem. We’re glad to continue working with her. There are many factors that can affect customers’ speeds in the home, especially via WiFi, including location of their modem and router, home size and construction, the type and capability of connected devices."

CenturyLink response:

"Speed tests cross other providers' networks, multiple transport networks, and different Internet peering points, which can result in inconsistent results. The actual speed customers experience will vary depending not only on the bandwidth provided to the customer by CenturyLink, but also other factors outside of CenturyLink's control, such as customer location, the quality of the customer's equipment and wiring within the home, and the websites accessed by the customer. We encourage customers to perform speed tests at our on-net speed test servers, which can be accessed at http://speedtest.centurylink.com."

Cox Media Group