• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, January 5, 2017

Frontier, which offers both DSL and fiber-optic service, advertised that consumers could stream video and "never worry" about their connections, according to the National Advertising Division (NAD), a self-regulatory unit administered by the Better Business Bureau.

But not all of Frontier's DSL service plans offer connections at fast enough speeds to stream video through Netflix (which recommends speeds of at least 3 Mbps for standard-definition streams and 5 Mbps for high-definition), according to the NAD. "Frontier offers a 1.5 Mbps plan which does not deliver the minimum speeds recommended for streaming Netflix," the NAD writes in its decision. "Even Frontier’s 3 Mbps plans would not be able to stream movies in HD. Frontier’s 6 Mbps plans would be unable to stream movies on multiple devices at one time."

The decision stems from a challenge to Frontier's ads by rival provider Charter. Frontier said it had discontinued the ad claims, but the NAD said its investigation revealed that some of the ads still contained language flagged by Charter.

Frontier's Web site also tells visitors they can obtain Internet service starting at $19.99 a month. The NAD found that to be problematic, because Frontier only offers DSL service -- and not the faster FiOS service -- at that price. "Although Frontier’s webpage indicates “Frontier Internet starts at $19.99,” the context of the advertising focuses on Frontier FiOS’ speed and its fiber optic network," the NAD writes.

"A reasonable takeaway from the pricing claim is that the advertised service, Frontier FiOS, is available for 19.99/month."

The watchdog recommended that Frontier revise its ads to "clearly and conspicuously disclose" that FiOS service at $19.99 a month isn't an option.