Politicians in NC, TX and NY piggyback on populist rage...
Stop the Cap notes that Democratic New York State Representative Eric Massa is coming out in opposition to Time Warner Cable's metered billing plan, which the company
announced last week would be expanding into the Rochester, NY market later this year. The plan involves caps as low as 5GB per month, and overage charges of $1 per additional gigabyte. Massa is drafting a bill that would prohibit this kind of metered billing, and
issued a statement via his website condemning Time Warner Cable's decision:
"Internet access is as essential to our economy as water is to our survival. With limited choices in broadband providers, and virtual monopolies in many market areas, I view this as nothing more than a large corporation making a move to force customers into paying more money. I firmly oppose capping internet usage and I will be taking a leadership role in stopping this outrageous, job killing initiative."
Massa complains that the "ill-conceived" plan will simply result in higher broadband bills for middle-income families. Meanwhile,
Consumer Affairs notes that in Austin, another city targeted by Time Warner Cable's expanding trial, Austin Mayoral candidate Lee Leffingwell is also coming out against the trials. From a
statement posted to his campaign website:
"I'm obviously concerned about the impact this plan would have on individuals and families, who would have to begin to monitor their Internet use. The new pricing system would have a significant impact on anybody who uses the Internet to watch videos, download music, movies, or television shows...If Time Warner believes that is has no choice but to introduce usage caps, I would call on them to propose caps that are realistic and reasonable. The usage caps proposed in their new plan are neither realistic nor reasonable."
While to some degree this may be politicians simply seizing on popular outrage for political brownie points, there is a growing, constituent-driven movement at the heart of it. One you can be sure that Time Warner Cable, AT&T and other carriers are paying close attention to.
Update: Politicians in Time Warner Cable's Greensboro, North Carolina trial market are
also stepping up against metered billing.
