The attorneys general of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut are pushing Altice USA to automatically refund Optimum customers who have been cut off from MSG Networks since a contract dispute began.
United for the issue, the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut attorneys general urged Altice USA, which is the Optimum parent, to automatically reimburse the customers without service since January 1, 2025. The dispute regarding the distribution deal between MSG Networks and Altice has triggered this blackout situation among subscribers; their access is limited to sports broadcasting of several teams, namely the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, and New Jersey Devils.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said that this is unfair to sports fans: “New York sports fans are being put in the penalty box, forced to shell out their hard-earned money for television channels they cannot even watch.” She urged both companies to settle their differences as soon as possible to restore services to consumers.
They include Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin, who expressed that payment to customers must be made immediately as compensation for their loss. They argue that consumers do not deserve to bear the costs of disagreements between companies and that refunds should be issued automatically without requiring the customer to apply for it through a claims process.
MSG Networks supported the attorneys general’s demands, saying, “We commend the Attorneys General in calling on Altice to do.”
Altice USA, however, defended its stance, labeling the current video programming model as old-fashioned. The company emphasized it was trying to help affected customers by providing other alternatives, including offsetting the cost of streaming sports services or moving customers over to new video products. could save them an average of $. An Optimum spokesperson stated, “We have been vocal about the options, from helping to offset the cost of. .”. As negotiations between Altice and. Networks continue, over a million Optimum subscribers remain without access to their local sports channels. The attorneys general have made it clear that they expect swift action to either restore the channels or compensate consumers for the disruption in service.
