Google has told us that customers have a total 60 days to opt out. An e-mail sent to customers on June 14 says the new terms of service will apply unless they call to cancel service within 30 days. If customers do nothing, they will have “accepted” the terms at that 30-day mark. After that, customers who remain with Google Fiber have another 30 days to opt out of the new terms using the online form.
The binding arbitration clause is similar to clauses implemented by Comcast, Charter, and AT&T, the three largest home Internet providers in the US.
AT&T also has a binding arbitration clause for its wireless business and recently used it to prevent a class action over the company’s throttling of unlimited data plans. Customers argued that the arbitration cause would violate their First Amendment right to petition a court for a redress of grievances, but a US District Court judge sided with AT&T.
AT&T has not been able to avoid actions from the Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission in the unlimited data throttling case. Similarly, Google Fiber customers’ best chance of seeking redress on a collective basis will likely be to file complaints with federal agencies, which could then fine or sue the company.
Editor’s note: This article originally stated that customers are being given 30 days to opt out of the new terms of service. We’ve updated that with the correct timeline provided by Google Fiber.