Time Warner Cable Joins The Austin Competition With 300 Mbps Thursday Feb 20 2014 16:15 EDT As we've recently noted, Austin is starting to resemble the kind of competitive market most of us only dream about. Thanks to Google Fiber, AT&T is now planning to offer $70, 1 Gbps connections in the city -- recently joined by Grande Communications, who says they too will offer 1 Gbps lines for $65 a month. Not to be outdone, Time Warner Cable is also joining the fun, today announcing they'll be bringing 300 Mbps to all of their users in Austin. According to a Time Warner Cable announcement, the company will begin offering the faster speeds in Austin this summer, and all residential customers in the Austin area will have access to the "new speeds by the fall of 2014." These are apparently the "Maxx" upgrades users other than LA and NYC weren't expecting to see until later this year or well-into 2015, but all the press attention appears to have forced the company's hand. As the graphic above notes, the upgrades in Austin will involve bumping the company's Basic tier from 3/1 to 10/1, the Standard tier from 15/1 to 50/5, their Turbo tier from 20/2 to 100/10, and their Extreme tier from 30/5 to 200/20. The 300 Mbps down, 20 Mbps up replaces their previous 50/5 Ultimate tier. "In stark contrast to our competitors, upon completion of this short roll out phase, these faster speeds and choices will be available to every Time Warner Cable customer in every area we serve in the Austin market, not just select neighborhoods," Time Warner Cable crows. That's a shot at Google Fiber and AT&T, who'll ultimately wind up being more selective about what neighborhoods they'll deploy to in Austin ( AT&T more so than Google). Before Time Warner Cable gets too excited you might want to note that the company didn't mention price in their news announcement, something they did for a reason you can probably figure out on your own. |
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upgrades have already started!Someone has posted in the TWC forum that they have more than 4 downstream channels looks like 16 downstream bonding could be active in Austin or at least parts of that cluster  look for Kansas City to be next I have a feeling lol! TWC removed several analogs late last year and has been sitting on them now they are rearranging the QAMs and they mentioned a rescan for CSPAN will be needed in March so they could be the 4th MAXX market. | |
|  | dra6o0n
join:2011-08-15
Mississauga, ON |
Re: upgrades have already started!Funny thing is no mention of caps. | |
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Re: upgrades have already started!Caps are coming as part of the "Comcrap upgrade". | |
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to motorola870
said by motorola870:look for Kansas City to be next I have a feeling lol! TWC removed several analogs late last year and has been sitting on them now they are rearranging the QAMs and they mentioned a rescan for CSPAN will be needed in March so they could be the 4th MAXX market. TWC already working on KC. My condo building was upgraded by TWC right after we signed a deal with Google. Can get 100 now but 300 coming. The building has complained about signal issues for years but TWC didn't do anything until we signed with Google. The standard price is $95 for 100/5 and supposedly same when 300 comes. When I told them 'Google is 1000/1000 for $70, what do you think I'd do', they offered it for $65. | |
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to motorola870
The real question is not:
Will they deliver 300mbps?
It's:
Will they offer 300mbit for ~70 a month or less? | |
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 EliteDataEliteData
Premium Member
join:2003-07-06
Hampton Bays, NY
kudos:7 |
-not sure if its in there and if it is, its probably buried deep as tiny fine print hidden away in obscurity but like most cable companies providing internet, im sure there are "caps" on how much data you can pass before you are either charged more or cut off.
if thats the case, lots of luck trying to stream a 1920x1080p HD game stream using Twitch. | |
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anonomeX
Anon
2014-Feb-20 4:06 pm
Whoop-dee-doo...I'll happily trade the promised "up to" [whatever latest maxx'd-out speed] anyone is offering for a reliable "at least" 10 [or even 5] mbps at any time of day/night. ("So, Bunky... you wanna stream video, eh? Sorry... we're "not-throttling" right now... maybe later.") | |
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Re: Whoop-dee-doo...said by anonomeX :I'll happily trade the promised "up to" [whatever latest maxx'd-out speed] anyone is offering for a reliable "at least" 10 [or even 5] mbps at any time of day/night. ("So, Bunky... you wanna stream video, eh? Sorry... we're "not-throttling" right now... maybe later.") Agreed. Also, notice that TWC is only "upgrading" areas in which they face real competition. And they will continue to selectively upgrade based on competition from other ISPs. Smaller markets or markets in states that have passed anti-competitive legislation will probably never be upgraded. | |
| | | iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Austin, TX
kudos:2 |
Re: Whoop-dee-doo...Hey, you can hope that Google will make good on their threat to come to the Triangle. I'll bet TWC would upgrade their systems in short order there if that happened. | |
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Re: Whoop-dee-doo...said by iansltx:Hey, you can hope that Google will make good on their threat to come to the Triangle. I'll bet TWC would upgrade their systems in short order there if that happened. Just read about that today, actually. It'd be great if GFiber came to the Triangle; I'd never have to bitch about shitty, overpriced Internet again. There have also been talks for the past year about the GigU fiber initiative, but no news of late. Either way, NC has passed some highly anti-competitive broadband legislation and it'll be interesting to see how Google deals with that here. | |
| | | | | davidhoffman
Premium Member
join:2009-11-19
Warner Robins, GA
kudos:3 |
Re: Whoop-dee-doo...If Google Fiber proposes a fiber overbuild, pays "market rates for pole access, and gets no preferential treatment compared to another private company willing to do an overbuild, the anti-competitive laws will have no effect. The laws were mainly directed at municipal and public utility FTTH construction. The good corporate owned conservative NC legislature, governor, and judicial branches of government would look like hypocrites if they blocked a privately financed FTTH build. | |
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Just Wonder to 54761437
Anon
2014-Feb-20 5:28 pm
to 54761437
Actually, the are upgrading the entire TWC footprint, Of course they will do the areas competition is heavy in first. I do have a question though, it's about competition,but not involving TWC, These Google Fiber areas, Are any of these areas also serviced by Verizon? It seems like it's only TWC and ATT. | |
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Re: Whoop-dee-doo...Let's hold our breath together and see how that goes. | |
| | | |  fg8578
join:2009-04-26
Salem, OR |
to Just Wonder
said by Just Wonder :Are any of these areas also serviced by Verizon? It seems like it's only TWC and ATT. Portland is a Comcast city. | |
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to Just Wonder
Yes TWC competes with fios in NYC, parts of Dallas, parts of LA | |
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Just Wonder
Anon
2014-Feb-21 8:16 am
Re: Whoop-dee-doo...No, I was wondering if GFiber were in VZW areas | |
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| |  djrobx
Premium Member
join:2000-05-31
Valencia, CA
kudos:4
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to 54761437
said by 54761437:Agreed. Also, notice that TWC is only "upgrading" areas in which they face real competition. And they will continue to selectively upgrade based on competition from other ISPs. Smaller markets or markets in states that have passed anti-competitive legislation will probably never be upgraded. Ehhh. As chic as it is to accuse an ISP of cherry picking, they announced these Maxx upgrades in LA and NYC, where there is no Google Fiber in sight. LA has very sparse FiOS coverage from Verizon and a whole lot of U-verse. Frankly I'm still in shock that I have a 100mbps connection right now. | |
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Re: Whoop-dee-doo...I was thinking more about Austin, but sure, the upgrades in NYC and LA are based more on the relative size and wealth (and density) of the metro's populace than on competition. What doesn't make sense, though, is TWC's total disregard for the Triangle market in NC. We have a sizable tech sector, a bunch of universities, high levels of education and income relative to the rest of the state, but we get nothing. Thus, the only thing I can conclude is that we're getting boned because of TWC paying off legislators to keep competition away. | |
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why60loss
Premium Member
2014-Feb-20 10:56 pm
Re: Whoop-dee-doo...said by 54761437:I was thinking more about Austin, but sure, the upgrades in NYC and LA are based more on the relative size and wealth (and density) of the metro's populace than on competition. What doesn't make sense, though, is TWC's total disregard for the Triangle market in NC. We have a sizable tech sector, a bunch of universities, high levels of education and income relative to the rest of the state, but we get nothing. Thus, the only thing I can conclude is that we're getting boned because of TWC paying off legislators to keep competition away. This, but google shall save us soon. | |
| | | | | davidhoffman
Premium Member
join:2009-11-19
Warner Robins, GA
kudos:3 |
to 54761437
The same situation in Georgia with Cox. It will be hilarious to watch Cox's actions if after Google finishes with the greater Atlanta metropolitan area, they come down into Cox territory in central Georgia. | |
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 ·ooma
·Optimum Online
·Verizon FiOS
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side by sidelast time I checked 1 gigabit SYMMETRIC beats 300 megabits asymmetric at a higher price...
What would be nice is that broadband prices start COMING DOWN again, across the country.. in the northeast.. these greedy companies are just chomping at the bit to jack up prices..
Verizon for example offers 15 measly megaits for $70 a month plus surcharges in Ny-- now that's PATHETIC... way, way past stupid. It's a bold announcement to be anti-competitive and ripe for a dismantling of exclusive telecom franchise rights in NY. Soon Verizon will be NO BETTER than AT&T. And what did Cablevision & Time Warner do? Jack their prices up too..
Apparently, millions of dollars in profit is chump change and continue to pursue a price gouging agenda. | |
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Just Wonder
Anon
2014-Feb-20 5:02 pm
Re: side by sideWhat's absurd to me is someone living in a 500sq ft apt in NYC paying 2500 and more a month... That's absurd. If the cost of living is high in your area, of course everything else will be too. Let's face it, if they didn't upgrade any HSD and we still had the original 3mbps on RR and 768kbps on DSL, people would complain, and those prices were. AOL use to and still charges people 25.00 for their access and email address (Just found my mother in law still pays for it) Everything goes up, including our beloved Netflix and Hulu in the future. The less we rely on broadband, maybe they would rethink pricing. Right now, it's crack to all us crackheads of broadband | |
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Re: side by sideSomeone must of overturned your rock. | |
| | | davidhoffman
Premium Member
join:2009-11-19
Warner Robins, GA
kudos:3 |
to Just Wonder
Until NYC completely gets rid of its outdated and ultimately harmful to the housing market rent control and rent stabilization laws, you cannot use open market rental housing costs as a valid comparison to the cost of broadband in NYC. The NYC housing market is so distorted by rent laws, condo and single family housing tax policies, and various categories of subsidized housing for various special interest groups, that it is an invalid comparison or analogy | |
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Just Wonder
Anon
2014-Feb-21 3:24 am
Re: side by sideActually it is not. Although these leased/sub leased/rented or home apartments are overrated, the cost of services, utilities or not, are priced according to the cost of living. Maybe not there in your "Peach" state sir, or should I say "Sa" | |
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| | ·ooma
·Optimum Online
·Verizon FiOS
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to Just Wonder
It's all about the choices of location, location, location.
If you want to live in the ghetto, or hood, you could pay as low as $600 a month! $2500+ a month puts you in under 20 minutes travel time to Wall Street... and if you need that proximity YOU WILL $$ PAY $$ for it-- it's called GENTRIFICATION. Verizon wants to invest as little as possible to gain market share. However, they are taking an anticompetitive approach being able to afford deployment.. Raise prices, and hope competitors do too.. so that they can really afford deployment (under MINIMUM obligation) of fiber by raising the profits of all broadband providers... so at a later time they can REALLY compete (if/when they are forced to). This has almost nothing to do with location.. and everything to do with a shrewd, stingy and anticompetitive business practice which should be made illegal.
The telecom industry seems to be taking it's sweet time to expand broadband in the last mile... and that's why Google doesn't seem content to wait around on the sidelines anymore. Now they have an expanded list of cities they want to see changes in before long and will put up the money to make it happen. I'm just wondering HOW LONG this dysfunction in the northeast will be allowed to go on before google makes a move for the Northeast market. | |
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Well I guess TWC wants to make sure they don't bleed before the comcast dealGoogle fiber seems like it's going to beat the living crap out of them. So they do a big speed bump to avoid too much loss before they hand the pile of crap network to Comcast. With google eyeing the big markets, it will be some heck of a 2014 seeing more news like this. I bet AT&T will bring 300mbs to Raleigh before to long in fear of the google fiber of DOOM. | |
| iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Austin, TX
kudos:2 |
Yay, my internet bill is going down!300/20 doesn't buy me much more than 200/20 does, because the upload speed is still the same either way. So I'll probably take this opportunity to downgrade to something $20 or so less expensive than what I'm paying now...when TWC gets around to upgrading my neighborhood.
Interestingly enough, this puts TWC on much more equal footing with Grande Communications where Grande doesn't have FTTH with the $65 gigabit, though Grande is still about $10 plus modem rental cheaper across the board. They just don't have anything above 110/11 over cable plant (then again, TWC will be the first major provider to break 150M over cable in the US anyway).
Even more interesting: when you include modem rental, TWC's "standard" residential service (currently 15/1, soon 50/5) will only be a few dollars cheaper than Grande's gigabit service. So I'm expecting $30/mo 12-month promos on that tier for awhile. | |
|  RMH
@verizon.net |
RMH
Anon
2014-Feb-20 5:13 pm
300/20 is not 300MbpsCan we stop pretending that 300/20 is 300Mbps. That's 20/20 with speed boost. | |
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anonomeX
Anon
2014-Feb-20 5:53 pm
Re: 300/20 is not 300MbpsYou're a "glass is half-empty" kinda guy aren't-cha?  | |
| | djrobx
Premium Member
join:2000-05-31
Valencia, CA
kudos:4 ·Time Warner Cable
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djrobx to RMH
Premium Member
2014-Feb-20 8:13 pm
to RMH
said by RMH :Can we stop pretending that 300/20 is 300Mbps. That's 20/20 with speed boost. While I would certainly like more than the 5 up that I have now, the truth is I use the download way more than I upload. I'd much rather have 300/10 than 20/20. 100/50 vs 300/20 would be a harder choice as it's currently hard to find servers that fill 100mbps. | |
| | davidhoffman
Premium Member
join:2009-11-19
Warner Robins, GA
kudos:3 |
to RMH
That is a unique way of stating it. Nicely done. | |
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comcastic
Anon
2014-Feb-20 5:27 pm
yeaYeah, and 300 Mbps and 250gb cap.. | |
| ncwred
join:2014-01-31
Austin, TX |
ncwred
Member
2014-Feb-20 6:06 pm
DOCSIS 3.1?Won't 200/20 and 300/20 require DOCSIS 3.1 modems? I know DOCSIS 3.0 can do these speeds on paper, but I'm not sure if in reality they'll do that.
I have a SB6141 which can do 343Mbit down supposedly. (8 channels.)
I'm in Austin and will hopefully have choices for 1 Gps:
AT&T
Google
Grande
Life is good. | |
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