Cable operators pretend that having fiber in a network is the same as FTTH....
The cable industry has constantly tried to confuse customers who don't know the difference between fiber to the home (FTTH) and hybrid fiber/coaxial networks. For cable operators that are taking a half-hearted approach to deploying DOCSIS 3.0 and competitive speeds, tricking their customers is clearly cheaper than actually upgrading their network.
Time Warner Cable has been
running ads that intentionally confuse FTTH and fiber. Their
latest website informs consumers that Time Warner Cable "gives you fiber optics without the hassle," and says that "Verizon FiOS isn't the only one that gives you fiber optics, but they pretty much have the weird name covered."
That's great, but back in reality, Time Warner Cable has taken a wait and see approach to deploying DOCSIS 3.0 and next-generation speeds. Without serious deployment even being considered until next year, Time Warner Cable can't remotely offer the same speeds as FiOS, but a consumer unfamiliar with broadband technology wouldn't know that.
According to Time, Time Warner Cable isn't the only one using misleading marketing comparisons to downplay the competitive impact of FiOS. Comcast is running ads in some papers claiming "we already have a fiber-optic network serving ALL our homes," while Charter runs an ad one spokesman says aims to "reassure current Charter customers that they too have fiber optic technology bringing their homes to life." Cox and Cablevision are running similar ads.
"Cable is deploying the rhetoric instead of the technology," says Verizon spokeswoman Bobbi Henson about the latest trend. Of course cable isn't alone in misleading consumers. Qwest does their best to pretend that their ADSL2+/FTTN service is actually "
Super High-Speed Fiber-Optic Internet Service." Technically none of the companies are lying, but few will be winning truth-in-advertising awards anytime soon either.
