Last year Charter was one of several ISPs to experiment with now-defunct behavioral advertising firm NebuAD. NebuAD deployed deep packet inspection hardware that carefully tracked which websites you visited, then delivered ads based on your browsing interests. It's estimated that ISPs stood to make around $5 per user, per month off of the technology, but the idea ran into a privacy controversy -- after many ISPs employed the service without informing users or providing useful opt-out tools.

Charter you'll recall promised that such systems would deliver customers an "enhanced online experience," though customers clearly didn't agree. While the privacy controversy ultimately wound up destroying NebuAD, Charter's fresh out of bankruptcy and is still interested in behavioral advertising, judging from comments to the FCC. They're also still interested in pretending that behavior tracking is some kind of perk for the consumer:Charter goes on to suggest to the FCC that allowing them to engage in behavioral advertising would lower subscription costs:Are Charter customers interested in a lower broadband bill if they agree to have their every move tracked and monetized? Do Charter customers actually think they'd ever see a lower broadband bill?