Time Warner Cable Expands New Modem Fee → Don't want to pay it...buy a modem, they're cheap

Pretty simple...wait on hold and get it on the account.

And then they don't support you and charge you a $50 truck roll.

Does this really happen that often that it wouldn't be worth gambling with by using your own modem?

I'd say in all 10 years I've been a cable broadband customer, I've had only one modem die on me. Even back then I think I paid well under $100 for a replacement and I was back up and running in no time flat.

Last time I checked, Docsis 3 modems weren't cheap.

Paid less than $50 for mine.

And if it is the modem, you should. Without an inside wiring plan, they cover to the street but if inside S goes south, you pay.

There are exactly 2 on the 'approved' list, and both are currently >$100.

/M

The modem doesn't have to be on the approved list. FCC Navigations Devices rules (Section 629 47 USC 549) from 1998 prohibit cable operators from not allowing customer owned modems on the network. My friend has an SB6180 on his account.

said by »transition.fcc.gov/Burea ··· 8013.txt :

---

Section 629 covers not just equipment used to receive video programming, but also
equipment used to access "other services offered over multichannel video programming
systems." Such equipment includes televisions, VCRs, cable set-top boxes, personal
computers, program guide equipment, and cable modems. The focus of Section 629,
however, is on cable television set-top boxes and cable modems, devices that have
historically been available only on a lease basis from the service provider.

---

When Comcast tried to block Zoom modems by charging some $20-$30K approval fee, Zoom filed a complaint with the FCC and Comcast had to settle.

Stop spreading the lies. I have NEVER leased a modem from TW, Adelphia, and then TWC. Over the years I probably had 8-9 truck rolls (always due to some upstream issue--mostly Buffalo winters), and was never charged a dime, NOT ONCE EVER. BTW, Adelphia service was awesome, and I think they probably brought over many of those folks to TWC.

TWC can check your modem remotely to see if it's kaputz, and even provision a new firmware if it's available.

The reason TWC probably limits modems is due to firmware supportability (even though they won't say) and the other ones they use are generally not retail devices. My inlaws have Technicolor (Thomson/RCA) up in Canada but it costs the same as the Moto. The only one that gets me is the D3 Moto SB6121 which is good for the near future. The only technical thing I can think about is the bonding and they may want to evenly spread channels (8x1) versus say bonding 4x2 across different subs. So this makes balancing downstream easier especially when they start ramping up those 100+ megabit folks.

The newer CM also have MoCA filters and that will reduce truck rolls and upstream shenanigans down the road, especially if the DVR/STB go IP only.

Once the mad rush ends, the prices will come back down. The SB6141 could be had for $70 in May.

Ok what Docsis 3 modem did you get for $50? Just curious...

It is NOT a lie. Go read your TOS. Truck rolls that are on your equipment are a $50 service fee. So you should go read.

SB6180 brown box (new) off eBay. 8 channel DOCSIS 3. I'm using it with Cox Ultimate.

»www.ebay.com/sch/i.html? ··· from=R40

They have to prove it your equiptment and not just their half ass management of their physical plant.

Since 2004, when I had cable back again, but for broadband only at that point, Ive had techs out here a handful of times for various reasons. Heres just about all of them. Aside from the $15 or $20 activation fee for digital phone, I never paid so much as a dime for any type of service call or tech visit or installation or paid anything else that was not programming related.

1) When I had Road Runner Installed

2) When I had Digital Cable installed

3) When I had Digital Phone Installed

4) When I upgraded to Signature Home and had my modem swapped out for a D3 Modem and had my DVRs switched out to Whole House DVRs

5) Three or four days after I upgraded to Signature Home, to swap out the Samsung WH DVRs for Cisco WHO DVRs

6) To replace a cable modem

7) To run a new line from the pole to the house after my newly installed concrete driveway crushed the existing cable that was buried beneath it (8AM sharp on Easter Sunday)

8) To replace that line from the pole to the house a few years later after the deck fell of the riding lawn mower, and the blades chewed into the ground and just so happen to slice up the buried cable line (Same day service, incident happened at 10AM, by 12:20 we were back up and running)

9) To have that same cable line replaced yet again when it was thought to be the cause of another problem which turned out to be…

10) The cable running from the tap, which was replaced.

11) The cable line running from the splitter to the bedroom was dropping certain frequencies and was replaced

12) To have an inline amp installed at one point, which is no longer needed

I find it absolutely hilarious that the ‘mystery reseller that was the end all be all, that you spammed this site with for a few days is such a joke, its not even published here. No mention on Engadget, CNet, Tech Crunch, AVSForum or any of the other high profile tech blogs and message boards either. I guess it bombed out. No real shocker there. What a joke!

Oh, they'll allow it on the network, but only for the "Standard" tier or below. If you want Turbo, Extreme, or Ultimate they will not allow you to use it. This does not violate the FCC thing as you can still use whatever - they'll bump you down to Standard to do so however.

Or do you expect them to allow whatever goes, like someone wanting to use their DOCIS 1.0 SB4100 with their Ultimate 50/5 package?

You are wasting money getting a D3 modem for TWC's Standard tier. A nice D2 modem can be had for $5-$10. TWC also disables PowerBoost on D3 equipment, so your speeds actually drop using D3 equipment on a D2 tier.

/M

$130 is "cheap"? Wow. You must make a lot of money and have never heard of anyone on a fixed income having Road Runner. There is only one approved modem and it can be found only at Amazon. There is one other approved one but it is a wireless one and gets bad ratings and is not much cheaper. So, basically, just one modem you can buy.

"Our computers are not showing any problems." There, they just "proved" it's your modem. Now you need to go and try to convince a supervisor to reverse the charge.

/M

Read the whole thread before replying.

There is no Powerboost on grandfathered Turbo (15/1). I do not have a DOCSIS 3 modem. I have Oceanic TWC's Surfboard 5100 that is over 8 years old that Oceanic wants to charge me rental for now. Rather pathetic. But what can you expect from a monopoly with a captive audience?

You are NOT wasting money buying a DOCIS 3 modem for Standard tier or grandfathered Turbo tier. Those tiers will require DOCSIS 3 modems soon. DOCSIS 2 modems are being phased out and you are foolish to buy one of them no matter what tier you are on.

What do you plan to do when TWC finally goes to IPv6? Your precious DOCSIS 2 modem doesn't know what that is. Pay the rental fee until more places than Amazon have the Surfboard 6141 and then buy it when the price is not inflated as it is currently because you can only get it at Amazon or unreliable Ebay.

You care to make some sense? I read the whole thread before I replied although that should never be a requirement. Would you read 500 posts before replying to post number 125?

You claimed $130 is cheap for a modem.

Why do you feel that way?

Evidently you didn't or you wouldn't be bringing up $130 as was already brought up in the thread.

My friend has the same SB6180 (the broadcom chipset) on his account in Huntington Beach that I have on my Cox account. I don't know what plan he has but it is the 30Mb one for $60 or $70 (he called it wideband). To do it he got escalated and mentioned the FCC ruling and they added it, no truck roll or anything. That is how I found out about the rule in the first place.