T-Mobile home internet ads get mixed results in Charter challenge

In a win for T-Mobile over challenger Charter Communications, the National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs determined that T-Mobile's "no data caps" claim for its Home Internet service was not misleading. NAD also found that T-Mobile's advertising “did not reasonably convey a disparaging message” that competing cable internet providers, including Charter, require long-term contracts and “exploding bills,” as compared to T-Mobile's Home Internet service. The determination is notable because T-Mobile is going after the same home internet market that cable companies, like Charter through its Spectrum brand, have been serving for years. It’s doing so more aggressively than ever, with T-Mobile intending to attract 7 million to 8 million fixed wireless access (FWA) customers by 2025. NAD recommended that T-Mobile discontinue claims that its Home Internet offers customers consistent speeds over 100 Mpbs or modify those to better reflect the range of speeds that customers can expect on a consistent basis. NAD also issued a number of other recommendations for T-Mobile. Because T-Mobile’s Home Internet connection shares its cellular network, the speeds consumers experience may be affected by the number of people using the cellular network through a process called deprioritization, NAD noted.