BPU Sets March 16 Hearing in Optimum/Altice Investigation
in Response
to Hamilton, Robbinsville Request
In response to a wave
of complaints regarding poor service and customer service by Altice USA, better
known to some as Optimum, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) has
found sufficient cause to investigate Altice USA and convene a public hearing
on March 16, 2021.
In August, Hamilton Township joined
Robbinsville in writing to the BPU requesting an investigation into the service
being provided to our residents after receiving an influx of complaints against
Altice. In the letter, Mayor Martin stated, “Having reliable cable and internet
service has never been more of a necessity than this year has proved it to be. Both
municipalities’ residents have experienced similar, unacceptable issues and a
lack of timely remediation from Optimum. Mayor Fried and I will fight for our
residents by partnering together on this issue and hope that by doing so it
will provide for a stronger likelihood of these concerns being taken seriously
by the State. “
Following Robbinsville and Hamilton,
the BPU received complaints and resolutions from at least 10 municipalities
concerning various issues their residents and constituents cited alleging
inadequacy and lack of service provided by Altice USA.
The BPU said in a February 17th
order it had reviewed the various complaints and requests for an investigation
and intervention and had found sufficient cause to convene a proceeding to give
the municipal officials and customers the opportunity to voice their concerns
about the services received from Altice; as well as afford the company the
opportunity to respond to these concerns before determining what corrective
action may be warranted and should be taken in this matter."
The Board designated Commissioner
Mary-Anna Holden as the Presiding Officer. Holden "is authorized to rule
on all motions that arise during the proceedings and modify any schedules that
may be set as necessary to secure a just and expeditious determination of the
issues."
The public hearing will be held
virtually on March 16th. Information concerning participation in the
public hearing will be posted on the BPU website – nj.gov/bpu. Mayor Martin
encourages residents wishing to participate in the public hearing to submit
their documentation via email to board.secretary@bpu.nj.gov.
Filings are to be submitted as PDF or Word format documents with the email
subject “Docket No. CX21020139 - In the Matter of the Requests for an
Investigation into the Operations of Altice USA in New Jersey”. The deadline to
file with the Board is Friday, February 26, 2021.