Time Warner Cable Expands Internet Usage Pricing

[virusiidx]

Awesome blog entry I came across regarding the ridiculousness of this plan.


Brion's Blog of Nothingness: Demystifying Bandwidth, or The Internet Is Not A Natural Resource

It's overselling. A lot of businesses do this, especially web hosting companies. They assume most of the users will not use all of the bandwidth, but now that more users are taking advantage of what they are paying for, it's biting the company in the ass. And it's the consumers that will be paying for it, unfortunately.

Hopefully, this doesn't last, but I can see other broadband companies following TWC's footsteps or making competitive pricing. Whether it fails or succeeds, I wouldn't be surprised of either.

I have TWC, but don't think cali is listed yet. But it's kind of a big deal to me since I do my own web hosting and have a couple of private servers.

[Guyverarmor]

Honestly, I work for TWC, and this does suck. Far as I know though, customer with a Price Lock Guarantee Package are not going to be affected by it.We will just wait and see

I know , I know , TWC sucks blah blah...tell you right now, I have had Grande and ATT before I started with Time Warner, and both the companies sucked ass and balls.

[Tythera]

While I skirt on Comcast's 250GB I can't imagine having a 40GB cap while paying more than I am for internet. The fact that you could max that out in 11 hours at 1MB/s (read the top tier was 10-15 mbit or thereabouts) is retarded. I wish FiOS would get here within 5-10 years but I even doubt that.

[Dimmauk]

Honestly, I work for TWC, and this does suck. Far as I know though, customer with a Price Lock Guarantee Package are not going to be affected by it.We will just wait and see

I know , I know , TWC sucks blah blah...tell you right now, I have had Grande and ATT before I started with Time Warner, and both the companies sucked ass and balls.

I think I have the price lock package with phone cable and internet + the boosted roadrunner bullshit. So will I be affected?

[Arnwulf]

Just an update.

Source: Time Warner halts metered billing tests | Wireless - CNET News

Time Warner Cable has put the brakes on a trial that was testing its new "consumption-based billing" system for its broadband service, the company said Thursday.

Chief Executive Glenn Britt said in a statement that there has been "a great deal of misunderstanding" by consumers and lawmakers who have criticized the plan.

Britt said that the company still believes that consumption-based billing may be the best way to handle rising network costs among its heaviest bandwidth users. But he conceded the company will not proceed with tests until it consults further with customers and interested parties.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) announced Time Warner's change of heart during a rally in Rochester, N.Y., the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported earlier on Thursday.

Massa, who represents Rochester, was an early opponent of the plan and has promised to introduce legislation that he has said would protect consumers against companies introducing tiered services, such Time Warner's proposed billing plan.

Massa is still not giving up on his legislation that would ban metered billing.

Time Warner had quietly been testing its metered billing service in Beaumont, Texas, since last year. But last week, the nation's second largest cable provider said that it was planning to expand the test of the bandwidth caps to other cities, including Austin, San Antonio, Rochester, N.Y., and Greensboro, N.C.

The way the plan worked is that Time Warner would cap data downloads and uploads at 10 gigabytes to 60 gigabytes a month with prices ranging from $25 to $65 per month, depending on the region. The company also planned to introduce a new plan that would have offered 100GB of downloads for $75 a month. Additional downloads would be charged $1 a GB with a cap of $75 on the extra fee, essentially making an unlimited plan cost $150 per month.

Time Warner said that it was testing metered billing because some of its subscribers were using an inordinate amount of bandwidth. And as more video and peer-to-peer services come online, the company said that it needed a new business model to handle the rising cost of maintaining and managing its network.

But consumer advocates have argued that Time Warner is simply trying to protect its cable TV business by making it very expensive for users to watch competing video services online. Public Knowledge, one of the more vocal opponents to Time Warner's metering plans, was pleased with the company's decision to table the tests.

"The company properly listened to its subscribers, the public, and policymakers, all of whom were highly critical of the proposition in the first place," Gigi Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge, said in a statement. "It quickly became clear the plan had nothing to do with managing Time Warner's network, and everything to do with increasing profits at the expense of captive customers in an uncompetitive broadband market."

[Lordwafik]

Just be happy your guys internet plans don't look like the ones here :

OptusNet plans and prices

Yes, that's how they all are, and yes all the ISPs are getting away with it, and YES, uploads are counted as part of the plans (So if you have 40gb bandwidth a month, and you uploaded 10, you have 30 left) /rage.

[0ni0n]

I will trade my first born for fios, if only they could expand their network further so i can be done with comcast once and for all.

[Jodwahh]

Holy titty fucking Raptor Jesus that's expensive as hell. Makes me wonder why someone down there hasn't started an ISP with realistic prices and just blown all the competition out the water.

[Olo401]

Chief Executive Glenn Britt said in a statement that there has been "a great deal of misunderstanding" by consumers and lawmakers who have criticized the plan.

There was no miunderstanding you piece of shit corporate asshat. Your company was working on a way to rape every single customer's wallet based on their downstream internet usage.

[Soa]

I feel bad for people who can't get FIOS, its every bit as awesome as everyone says it is.

[MrW]

I'm not sure what angers me more. The fact that they want to implement this policy or the fact that they think the consumer is stupid enough to not know what they're trying to do.

[The Blackrose]

There was no miunderstanding you piece of shit corporate asshat.

That was just corp speak for "CURSES, FOILED AGAIN!"

[Guyverarmor]

Forgot to read prev. post from another forum goer. From what I was told, probably may not start till towards end of this year, maybe.

[Akucaen]

Goddamn I love small companies. Suddenlink in this area does a 8mbit home service with no caps whatsoever. :3

[Ragnell]

I dont see a really move from Opt Online to FOiS, I'm pretty happy with Opt Online, Hopefully Cablevision wont pull this shit anytime soon.

[Mici]

God if this gets my area I am so fucked. I live in a large house with 7 people all of which are power users, we share one connection and run 10-20gigs a day, everyone of us has an online game we play daily and torrent as much as possible, that's not even counting the 2 360's the PS3 and 3 Wiis in the house that are used online a lot.
I would be looking at an average 500$ bill

[Sythe]

Im actually about 7megs over their speed limit with Time warner. My upload on the other hand is just as shitty as its suppose to be. Im thinking bout FIOS for the WAY better upload speeds. that or a seed box... it would be cheaper. Either way im glad TW is sitting the fuck down.

[Purrrfect]

That was just corp speak for "CURSES, FOILED AGAIN!"

HAHAHA! Cookie for you.

While I can understand having a tiered system, I can understand that if I use 20 times more bandwidth than my neighbor I should pay more than him, they need to get their pricing back to reality. $60 for 40gig? I'll pay that if it comes with a nice little russian honey or something...

[Stiker]

All I can say is, thank God that I am moving to a new place with FiOS access. Kiss my ass TWC, not going to miss you one fucking bit.

[Saithorx]

Just an update.

Source: Time Warner halts metered billing tests | Wireless - CNET News

Regardless of the stupidity of the prices, if someone plans on using over 125GB, wouldn't it be smarter to just get the $25 plan and pay the additional $75 cap for additional usages. That would make it $100 for unlimited instead of $150. Or would they just bump you up to the highest plan any given month based on what they used that month to rape people even more?

User uses 100GB of bandwidth
25 dollar plan: ($25 for first 10) + 75 because of cap = 100 total
65 dollar plan: ($65 for first 60) + 40 = 105 total
75 dollar plan: ($75 for first 100) + 0 = 75 total (Best lolValue)

User uses 125GB of bandwidth
25 dollar plan: ($25 for first 10) + 75 because of cap = 100 total (Best lolValue)
65 dollar plan: ($65 for first 60) + 65 = 125 total
75 dollar plan: ($75 for first 100) + 25 = 100 total (Best lolValue)

User uses 150GB of bandwidth
25 dollar plan: ($25 for first 10) + 75 = 100 total (Best lolValue)
65 dollar plan: ($65 for first 60) + 75 = 135 total
75 dollar plan: ($75 for first 100) + 50 = 125 total

Perhaps my math is wrong somewhere, but been a long day.