» Verizon Sues Time Warner for False Advertising of Cable TV ServiceTelecommunications Industry News

Telecom News Editorials Reports Glossary

Verizon Sues Time Warner for False Advertising of Cable TV Service

5:50 am on April 11, 2008 | Category: Business, Law, Telecom Services, Television

Incumbent telecom carrier, Verizon Communications, brought its ambitions in the pay-TV market to court yesterday, suing rival cable company, Time Warner, for allegedly false advertising.

Verizon says that Time Warner’s cable television ads falsely imply that FiOS (Verizon’s TV service) requires a satellite dish, doesn’t include telephone, broadband, and video, and that Time Warner’s network is superior.

Verizon described a television commercial that began airing on March 3 as “most egregiously false,” alleging that it causes “immediate and irreparable harm” to the reputation of FiOS.

“Once customers choose Time Warner over Verizon FiOS, switching costs, inertia, and the perceived inconvenience of switching providers keep many customers from changing,” the telecom giant said in its lawsuit, filed on Wednesday April 9 at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Time Warner spokesman, Alex Dudley, responded that Verizon’s lawsuit is “without merit,” stating that the cable company looks forward to defending against it.

Telecommunications Industry News