National Advertising Division Refers Claims for Spectrum Home Internet Service to Regulatory Authorities for Further Review

New York, NY – March 21, 2024 – BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division has referred advertising claims made by Charter Communications Inc. for its Spectrum home internet service to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and other regulatory authorities for review after Charter declined to participate in the industry self-regulation process. 

The claims at issue were challenged by T-Mobile US, Inc. in two separate National Advertising Division (NAD) challenges. Both challenges outlined below alleged that advertising for Charter's Spectrum home internet service falsely denigrated T-Mobile’s competing 5G Home Internet Service (T-HINT).

• In a Fast-Track SWIFT challenge, an expedited process designed for single-issue advertising cases, T-Mobile alleged that Charter’s claim that T-HINT is “Cell Phone Internet” is expressly false because T-HINT is not the same as internet service on current cellular phones and because T-HINT is a dedicated home internet service. Charter argued that the challenge should not proceed in Fast-Track SWIFT and that it should be consolidated with another pending challenge. NAD determined that the challenge could proceed. 
• In another challenge, T-Mobile argued that Charter’s “Walls” commercial, which aired during the broadcast of Super Bowl LVIII in February 2024, included the unsupported implied claim that T-HINT is too slow to use because it is “blocked” by a home’s walls. T-Mobile argued that this claim greatly overstates T-HINT’s actual limitations.

The challenged claims appeared on the Spectrum website, in a television commercial, on YouTube, and on social media. 

Considering Charter’s decision not to participate in the NAD self-regulatory process with respect to these claims, NAD has referred the matter to the FTC and other regulatory authorities for review and possible enforcement action. NAD will also ask social media platforms to review the challenged advertising to determine if it is consistent with platform advertising standards or policies.

All BBB National Programs case decision summaries can be found in the case decision library. For the full text of NAD, NARB, and CARU decisions, subscribe to the online archive. Per NAD/NARB procedures, this release shall not be used for advertising or promotional purposes.