NAD Asks Verizon to Drop 5G Claim

The National Advertising Division (NAD) of the BBB National Programs says that Verizon's claims in TV ads that it is "building the most powerful 5G experience for America" is not supported by the evidence and recommended that it discontinue or modify that claim.

AT&T had complained about the ads, which promote 5G service in sports venues, to the NAD, which is the investigative unit of the ad industry's self-regulatory unit.

NAD singled out the implied claim that Verizon is currently delivering that "most powerful 5G experience," and "unqualified superiority claim" in the present tense that is not supported by evidence, NAD concluded.

Verizon told NAD it will appeal--to the National Advertising Review Board--the decision's reading of its claim.

"The intent of the commercial is to inform consumers about the billions of dollars Verizon is investing in its 5G buildout," it told NAD. "Verizon strongly believes that consumers understand that this is the only message that is reasonably conveyed."

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.