Australia fines Telstra $12 million for misleading customers on internet speed

(Reuters) -Telstra, Australia's no.1 telecom firm, has been fined A$18 million ($11.87 million) by the Federal Court for lowering internet speed plans for about 9,000 customers without informing them, the country's competition watchdog said on Friday. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said Telstra migrated 8,897 customers of its low-cost value brand, Belong, to a lower-speed plan without notifying them that their maximum upload speed had been halved. The migration occurred during October-November 2020, the regulator said. "Telstra's failure to inform customers that their broadband service had been changed denied them the opportunity to decide whether the changed service was suitable for their needs," ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey said in a statement. Australian tele