Ad Review Board Claims AT&T is Falsely Advertising U-Verse as "Fastest Internet for the Price"

It’s probably hard to believe that a telecom company would use misleading advertising (eyeroll), but that’s exactly what an advertising review board is saying AT&T has done with its U-Verse Internet service.

The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus is taking issue with one particular claim made by AT&T — that its U-Verse service provides the “Fastest Internet for the price.” It’s true, but only at the 3 Mbps tier; that doesn’t even qualify as broadband Internet, according to the FCC.

The NAD believes that AT&T should either stop making that claim, or should at least make customers aware that it only applies to the 3 Mbps tier of service.

AT&T is, quite predictably, not pleased. In a statement, the company responded by saying that it believes “this kind of disclosure overload does not contribute to consumer understanding of the product offering, but rather detracts from it.”

Basically, AT&T feels that clarifying its misleading claim will confuse everyone. Customers can better understand AT&T’s offerings if what they’re being told isn’t true.

It’s important to note that AT&T is under no obligation to comply with the NAD’s recommendations. AT&T has stated it will consider them, but these broadband giants pretty much regulate themselves on the advertising front. The NAD on its own didn’t even go after AT&T for the misleading claim; instead, it took a complaint from Comcast to get the ball rolling.

Comcast, battling on behalf of the consumer — who would’ve thought?

[Source: Ars Technica]