PORTLAND, Maine — A federal appeals court has revived a Maine law that requires refunds for customers who cancel cable service.
Maine’s law makes cable companies refund some customers who cancel accounts before the end of the month. Members of the telecommunications industry argued the proposal was preempted by federal law.
The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston reversed a lower court’s ruling on Tuesday, the Bangor Daily News reported. The court found that Maine’s law does not constitute an unlawful state regulation of cable rates, the paper reported.
Charter Communications played the lead role in the court case. The company is a major cable provider in the state. A spokesperson declined to comment to the Bangor Daily News about whether the company would appeal the decision.
Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said in a statement he was “disappointed that one cable company chose to challenge the law in federal court instead of simply doing right by its customers.”
