Time Warner Cable hasn't been exactly what you'd call a hero when it comes to furthering national broadband deployment. The company was behind bills in both North and South Carolina banning or hindering towns and cities from deploying their own broadband, even when nobody else will. They've been among the slowest cable operators to offer DOCSIS 3.0 upgrades courtesy of limited competitive pressure (thanks, in part, to the aforementioned bills). They've followed this up by pooh pooh-ing Google Fiber as a service they claim nobody actually wants or needs.

Hoping you'll ignore all of this context, the company this week crowed that they're one of numerous companies bidding to help build the North Carolina Next Generation Network (NCNGN) project. NCNGN is a coalition of companies, universities, individuals and organizations that are trying to build the kind of networks Time Warner Cable has thus far refused to, allowing Time Warner Cable to continue jacking up rates in the region (locals were just hit with another round of hikes last month).

Not wanting this pointed out, Time Warner Cable's press release tries to play up the company's love of the State:That history has included writing and buying the passage of bills that have ensured nobody will build the kind of networks the company just claimed they were so dedicated to. It has also included suing the hell out of any town that decides to build a network offering anything other than the slow, pricey speeds Time Warner Cable offers. So you'll believe Time Warner Cable's faux dedication to North Carolina, the company trotted out one of the local politicians on their payroll:This is the same Avila that tried to convince state lawmakers that fiber to the home technology was not reliable just so she could shovel an awful Time Warner Cable protectionist bill through the State legislature (it succeeded after four tries). Time Warner Cable is generally pretty obnoxious when it comes to being anti-competitive, but it takes some serious stones to trot out the same politician you used to keep North Carolina in the broadband dark ages to speak on your dedication to broadband in North Carolina.