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Comments on news posted 2012-10-09 12:36:49: An insider at Charter Communications tells Broadband Reports that the company will soon start charging a $200 "activation fee" for the company's 100 Mbps tier. ..

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grayem
join:2000-09-22
Saint Louis, MO

grayem to haggelz

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Re: Uh no.

You can just block his or any other trolls comments.
rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO

rradina to 88615298

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to 88615298

Re: If you can afford the 100 Mbps tier

If few sign up, then their statement doesn't make sense. There's not enough revenue made to fund those incremental investments. I really don't care if they charge an install fee but this smells a lot like a Billy Mays infomercial where if you buy one at $19.99, you get one free, just pay a separate $15.99 processing/postage/shipping/handling/whatever fee.

Ultra is a premium service which results in higher incremental network investments, equipment costs, and other operating expenses," the company tells me. "In an effort to maintain reasonable monthly recurring service fees, we have implemented a higher installation fee for Ultra customers."

This statement is especially full of hot air in an economy that loves to give stuff away but charge a monthly fee for the life of the product. The RIAA would just love to get rid of the concept of selling a song on any medium if they could figure out a way to charge you every time you play a song.
mj3431
join:2003-04-21
STL, MO

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I understand that it only applies to NEW 100m activations. My point was that when they bring promotions back (and they will at some point) this will discourage customers from purchasing the higher rate tier. This is simply a move to slow uptake on this tier since it costs them much more to upgrade the network, split nodes etc. to support it.
Ahuacamolli
join:2001-11-30
Rancho Santa Fe, CA

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But you would be okay with Charter's 500 GB cap for it's 100 Mbps residential cable internet service?

jtudor
MVM
join:2002-12-07
Morganton, NC

jtudor to Terabit

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to Terabit

Re: I'd pay the activation fee

said by Terabit:

100% agree. It's the only way anyone can break this cable stronghold on America.

If they tried, you can bet that the cable companies would team up to lobby for (and probably get) legislation in many states preventing MS/Google/etc from going in to the ISP business, that has been their MO everywhere so far.
15444104 (banned)
join:2012-06-11

15444104 (banned) to Chubbysumo

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to Chubbysumo

Re: Uh no.

Bingo.

This is why Charter hired that new CEO. I'm sure this is his
"innovative" idea, that NOBODY else could have figured out. LOL

franknalco
join:2005-01-27
Littleton, CO

franknalco to Bhruic

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to Bhruic

Re: If you can afford the 100 Mbps tier

Non-recurring charges have been rising as companies try to recoup money lost from other sources, at least in the b2b segment. This has been the trend especially in markets where the monthly recurring charges have been under pricing pressure.
Charter operates in a lot of 3rd-tier markets, i.e. places like St Louis. This often gives them an advantage because of the lack of competition. If you have to have 100 Mb service and they are the only ones around to provide it, they can count on whoever needs that level of service to come to them regardless of the NRC. It is a charge many business won't spend a lot of time thinking about. They will try to keep the MRC as low as possible and usually don't negotiate the NRC. So on the b2b segment, the NRC has been rising.
For the last 10 years, MRCs have been falling in b2b markets, not just in the US, but around the globe. Margins are very thin the on b2b side in most markets where there is more than one strong player. What i used to pay for a T1 I can now get an OC3 in many markets, but usually with a much higher NRC/Install cost. NRCs have been rising, and $200 - $500 for an install is not unusual. I guess if you want a level of service that is often consumed by businesses and enterprises, then you will probably have to pay the same NRC, or perhaps more since consumers usually can't negotiate a deal for themselves.

James M
@charter.com

James M

Anon

totaly false info - Biased -

I am a charter retailer in California and can tell you there price is $39/Mo. for 30 MBPS - gives you - and they GIVE YOU A FREE MODEM - a fact left out .

Is DSL reports getting a fee to report false info? Time Warner involved ?

Shame....

kilrathi
Premium Member
join:2005-04-22
Rockaway Park, NY

kilrathi

Premium Member

Does that mean instant service problem resolution?

For that kind of money I would expect same day plant tech team resolution on stand by if there is a problem.

PeteC2
Got Mouse?
MVM
join:2002-01-20
Bristol, CT

PeteC2

MVM

Well, it is a premium plan - vote with your wallet

Nobody is forcing anyone to get the 100Mbps tier. It is a premium tier for those who really want it.

I fully understand folks who have concerns that there should be affordable Internet access (which is an endlessly debatable term - at one time, I thought having a 1.5 Mbps dsl line at $34.99 a month was a great deal), so that this is widely available to most everybody. Broadband access may not exactly be a "right", but I am comfortable that it has reached the level of being a basic "utility" for most folks, and access should be reasonably available and affordable for a base rate of performance.

I see no rationale that Charter, or any other ISP has got to offer any "justification" for their pricing of higher-level tiers other than whatever they feel the market place will sustain.

Although this statement will not be correct in perpetuity, as of right now, nobody "needs" 100 Mbps service.

Don't like the price? Vote with your wallet and don't get it. It is pretty safe to say that Charter needs to hit a certain threshold of customers on their 100 Mbps tier for it to be profitable - let the market place speak.
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