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Time Warner Cable Expands Metered Option

After Time Warner Cable took a public relations beating for pushing mandatory low caps (as low as 5 GB) and high per byte overages (as high as $5 per additional gigabyte) on consumers back in 2009, the company has been stepping very carefully in what is quite obviously their relentless desire to charge consumers broadband overages. Early last year their metered billing option returned to a few tiny markets as a voluntary (for now) option named "Essentials."


Under Essentials, the company promises users a $5 discount off their bill if they sign up for the plan, which features a 5 GB cap and $1 per gigabyte overages. Granted if you actually use your connection for anything more than checking the weather a few times a week, that very slight "discount" evaporates immediately and you potentially pay more than you did previously.

As such, very few have signed up for the plan.

If having your bandwidth consumption tightly constricted for no particular reason appeals to you, you'll be happy to note that Time Warner Cable has expanded the plans nationally, and is now offering users in some markets a slightly larger 30 GB capped plan. The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (via Stop the Cap) points out that Rochester, NY customers are seeing both rate hikes, and the option of a new 30 GB cap with an as-yet-unspecified discount (probably the same five bucks) for signing up:

quote:
In conjunction with the rate increases, Time Warner Cable is offering discounts for customers who choose either a 5 gigabyte or 30GB cap on their monthly Internet usage. "Those who use the Internet for their e-mail or to surf the Web need not pay the same rates as those who download games and the like," she said.
Except as I've noted repeatedly, Time Warner Cable has no interest in actually lowering the bills of those who use less bandwidth, as it would decimate their quarterly earnings. Despite repeatedly promising that they're simply interested in offering value, the metered plans Time Warner Cable keeps introducing repeatedly fail to offer any.

That's because what Time Warner Cable wanted in 2009, and still wants now, is to migrate customers to significantly more expensive metered plans, despite the fact the cost to deliver fixed-line bandwidth continues to plummet. With users on such plans, the company can cash in on Internet video and protect traditional TV revenues from disruption. Any promise of keeping an unlimited option alive should be taken with a grain of salt.

Company executives have repeatedly made their intent on this front clear, but have had to settle for other forms of rate increases (like the company's ever-increasing modem rental fees) because you folks annoyingly ruined their plans to charge $5 per gigabyte back in 2009. Advancements like Google Fiber's introduction of $70 uncapped symmetrical 1 Gbps fiber lines hasn't helped Time Warner Cable's case. Time Warner Cable appears to believe that they can still get metered billing implemented if they simply do it slowly (much like the boiling frog analogy), and layer on enough empty rhetoric about how they're simply interested in offering you value.
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DMWCincy
join:2004-04-27
Fairfield, OH

1 recommendation

DMWCincy

Member

Competition

At least where I live I have the local telco I can always fall back on. TWC for me at least has been the better option due to how bad quality and price the telco was but if TWC ever decided that everyone should be meter I'll move to the telco in a heart beat.

The 5 GB is a joke. I blow through 5 GB on my phone a month streaming music while I'm at work. At home with several internet devices neither the 5 or 30 GB option is viable. Heck my son and I combined did about 100GB of downloading thanks to the steam summer sale. I know these Tiers are suppose to be for the low end user but i worry that TWC will think everyone should fall under them.

Chris 313
Because It's Geekier
Premium Member
join:2004-07-18
Houma, LA
·AT&T FTTP
·Comcast XFINITY

Chris 313

Premium Member

Re: Competition

said by DMWCincy:

At least where I live I have the local telco I can always fall back on. TWC for me at least has been the better option due to how bad quality and price the telco was but if TWC ever decided that everyone should be meter I'll move to the telco in a heart beat.

The 5 GB is a joke. I blow through 5 GB on my phone a month streaming music while I'm at work. At home with several internet devices neither the 5 or 30 GB option is viable. Heck my son and I combined did about 100GB of downloading thanks to the steam summer sale. I know these Tiers are suppose to be for the low end user but i worry that TWC will think everyone should fall under them.

I agree. Low caps and that 5 buck discount is a joke. I regularly use 100GB or more a month. If you're a heavy gamer or stream things like Netflix, it just eats up whatever little they give you and then you get a bill for hundreds if not thousands more.

May Google Fiber continue to squeeze TWC's balls and keep them from really rolling out this metered BS.

Probitas
@teksavvy.com

Probitas to DMWCincy

Anon

to DMWCincy
Of course they want everyone to be charged like they were a utility. What I want to know is, how do they run out of Gigabytes? Is there a vault somewhere and they run out sometimes? Is it a renewable resource that requires husbanding like trees? Is it like oil and may some day be used up? Maybe they got some hamsters working in a factory creating Gigabytes? Then I could understand their pricing model. If none of the above are an issue, they are FULL OF IT!!!
The Antihero
join:2002-04-09
Enola, PA

The Antihero

Member

Re: Competition

There only so many zeroes and ones, and once they're gone, they're gone!
ADL
join:2000-12-20
USA

1 recommendation

ADL

Member

TWC can see the writing on the walls

TWC knows cable tv is on borrowed time. Metered billing is ideal for them because it provides an incentive for users to keep TV service to keep data usage down. It also allows them to milk cord cutters.

Guess I will read more books soon.

skeechan
Ai Otsukaholic
Premium Member
join:2012-01-26
AA169|170

skeechan

Premium Member

Re: TWC can see the writing on the walls

Exactly...metering is about protecting video revenues. That is it.
sludgehound
join:2007-03-12
New York, NY

sludgehound

Member

POS Service but all there is

West side midtown Manhattan. No FIOS yet tho trucks all over place with giant cable rolls. Water mains & Con Ed have 49th & 50th torn up and several Avenues. Ya'd think TWC service would survive ok as did during 9/11 on broadband. But nah. furgitboutit. True POS. And forget 'National Tech' with the reverse your LAN cable. A;ways your end.
patt2k
join:2009-01-16

patt2k

Member

no TWC

Free of Time Warner Cable for 6 months already in NYC. Makes me so happy.



MxxCon
join:1999-11-19
Brooklyn, NY

MxxCon

Member

Re: no TWC

Don't delusion yourself. VZ is watching TWC very carefully and the moment this goes live in NYC area, VZ will follow suit.
b10010011
Whats a Posting tag?
join:2004-09-07
united state

2 edits

b10010011

Member

Advertizing should not count towards your cap

If I have to pay by usage than I should only have to pay for the information I requested. Banner ads, sidebar ads, Google ads, cookies, embedded multimedia, movies, flash, etc. should be removed and replaced with a click to download link or TW should charge the webpage owner for the unrequested data.

Morfein
Lead Peon
Premium Member
join:2004-09-08
Brownsburg, IN

Morfein

Premium Member

Re: Advertizing should not count towards your cap

This... I want anything non-essential to me to be blocked please. Anyone know if the meters they are using are even accurate?

If they do this, and it includes the Lightning tier... I'll go to the cheapest tier or switch...

MxxCon
join:1999-11-19
Brooklyn, NY

MxxCon to b10010011

Member

to b10010011
except advertisements are a critical and required part of the websites that you visit.
b10010011
Whats a Posting tag?
join:2004-09-07
united state

1 edit

b10010011

Member

Re: Advertizing should not count towards your cap

said by MxxCon:

except advertisements are a critical and required part of the websites that you visit.

The website or the advertiser should pay TW for the bandwidth used by their ads not me.

MxxCon
join:1999-11-19
Brooklyn, NY

MxxCon

Member

Re: Advertizing should not count towards your cap

In that case you should pay the website for consuming it's content.
b10010011
Whats a Posting tag?
join:2004-09-07
united state

b10010011

Member

Re: Advertizing should not count towards your cap

said by MxxCon:

In that case you should pay the website for consuming it's content.

If a website has content worth paying for I have no problem paying them for it.

MxxCon
join:1999-11-19
Brooklyn, NY

MxxCon

Member

Re: Advertizing should not count towards your cap

Ah, the big "if".
In that case, if you are worth anything to the advertisers, then they will pay for you to see those ads.
until then stfu and be happy for what you have.

zoom314
join:2005-11-21
Yermo, CA

zoom314 to b10010011

Member

to b10010011
Agreed, but I doubt websites will do that, so that means adblock+, in any case I'm against metering of the internet by ISPs and by TWC especially...

stvnbrs
Premium Member
join:2009-03-17
Cary, NC

stvnbrs

Premium Member

No other option

I can't get internet from any other provider unless I go satellite or use cell phones. Because of this I am forced to pay TWC prices and rates and deal with their terrible service. I was actually threatened with higher prices by a phone rep for complaining that their prices are too high. F*ck everything about this company, they need to make internet a utility just like electricity and be done with it. This is nothing more than an attempt to gain additional revenue without providing anything.

stannlee
@rr.com

stannlee

Anon

TWC

vote for the new slogan : TWC: The power to screw you.

GlennLouEarl
3 brothers, 1 gone
Premium Member
join:2002-11-17
Richmond, VA

GlennLouEarl

Premium Member

"We promise..."

"we'll only rob you blind a little bit at a time... you won't even notice... really... trust us!"

coldmoon
Premium Member
join:2002-02-04
Fulton, NY

coldmoon

Premium Member

Re: "We promise..."

said by GlennLouEarl:

"we'll only rob you blind a little bit at a time... you won't even notice... really... trust us!"

What is new about that? Sounds like provider SOP from the begining...
tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Brooklyn, NY

tmc8080

Member

meanwhile

Install google fiber in all Time Warner geographies and see what happens to TW then..

The number of years companies can milk old technologies is getting to the breaking point.. (of their incumbency status).
TBBroadband
join:2012-10-26
Fremont, OH

TBBroadband

Member

Re: meanwhile

that will never happen. GF needs TWC for some things and if GF wants them, they'd be smart and not expand any more into TWC's area. They can easily block them from content, TW could play that game as well since they still own part of TWC and get fees for the brand.

ArgMeMatey
join:2001-08-09
Milwaukee, WI

ArgMeMatey

Member

Get serious

Their aim is to provide the illusion of choice while supporting revenues and blaming streamers for congestion.

If they were really interested in doing anything that would benefit consumers, and if keeping traffic down really was a concern, they would offer a very low maintenance rate to cover overhead, such as $10 a month, and then meter all usage at a reasonable cost.

skeechan
Ai Otsukaholic
Premium Member
join:2012-01-26
AA169|170

skeechan

Premium Member

If TWC really want to do this, they could boil the frog

If TWC wanted to do metering, they would be smart to simply set the cap at 75-200GB/mo (tier dependent) or something and then leave it there. Like all things digital...people will catch up to the cap. Perhaps it wouldn't be this year or the next, but soon enough you will snare more and more people in the overage pool.

Their mistake is they keep trying to push people into the boiling water instead of 'boiling the frog'.
tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Brooklyn, NY

tmc8080

Member

Re: If TWC really want to do this, they could boil the frog

said by skeechan:

If TWC wanted to do metering, they would be smart to simply set the cap at 75-200GB/mo (tier dependent) or something and then leave it there. Like all things digital...people will catch up to the cap. Perhaps it wouldn't be this year or the next, but soon enough you will snare more and more people in the overage pool.

Their mistake is they keep trying to push people into the boiling water instead of 'boiling the frog'.

The problem is they have competitors who lie in overlapping markets and it's not too difficult to move from one market to the next for a better deal.. just as it might be only slightly harder to pick up & move to a location with more competition than not.

The current trend is to keep 'unlimited usage' and offer more faster tiers for extra money... not cap & overages.. that's Wireless's bag.. not wired. If TWC wants to be a wireless company then go ahead... don't the door hit you!
elray
join:2000-12-16
Santa Monica, CA

elray

Member

Mandatory Low Caps?

Karl, when did TWC actually state they would implement "Mandatory Low Caps" of 5GB?

They "took a public relations beating" from you and the populist ninnies when they made the mistake of floating the idea of a low-cost low-end tier ($15/month) - there was nothing mandatory about it, but thanks to you and and the Loud Howards of the populist blog industry, they were shouted down before the merits of the plan could see light of day.

mr sean
Professional Infidel

join:2001-04-03
N. Absentia

mr sean

Re: Mandatory Low Caps?

A plan must actually have merits before said merits can be shouted down.

No viable metering, no lower billing, and rate increases to chase the customers to other providers = unhappy consumers and unhappy investors

Even regulatory capture, shills, and anti-competitive practices can't re-balance that equation.

stvnbrs
Premium Member
join:2009-03-17
Cary, NC

stvnbrs

Premium Member

Re: Mandatory Low Caps?

Until they place themselves in a position where there is no other option. In NC they have been doing this for a while. New developments have no other choice for LAN-based internet. Lack of competition is what is enabling the bi-annual cost increases, additional fees for already provided services and any other way they can find to make free money. The alternative? Move or cancel service, unless you can get cell-based internet service which for me is the only other option.

mr sean
Professional Infidel

join:2001-04-03
N. Absentia

mr sean

Re: Mandatory Low Caps?

I feel your pain.
I've been keeping an eye on the Triangle for the past year as I'll be relocating to Chapel Hill/Carrboro in early 2014. TWC is a dreadful proposition to face, and with the state and local lawmakers seemingly catering to their every whim through lobbying (fill your campaign chest here) the prospects for an alternative are grim. Recent legislation just killed any hopes of repeating the success of Wilson and Salisbury in community fiber.
Geographically and demographically the Triangle would be a good fit for Google Fiber, but I wouldn't want to pin my hopes on that.
elray
join:2000-12-16
Santa Monica, CA

elray to mr sean

Member

to mr sean
TWC's plan did have merit. It was $15 a month.
Dampier
Phillip M Dampier
join:2003-03-23
Rochester, NY

Dampier to elray

Member

to elray
said by elray:

Karl, when did TWC actually state they would implement "Mandatory Low Caps" of 5GB?

They "took a public relations beating" from you and the populist ninnies when they made the mistake of floating the idea of a low-cost low-end tier ($15/month) - there was nothing mandatory about it, but thanks to you and and the Loud Howards of the populist blog industry, they were shouted down before the merits of the plan could see light of day.

Frontier Communications tried 5GB usage caps in the summer of 2008. It is what got Stop the Cap! started and the plan was quickly rescinded after we started pounding them (and we were about the only ones). TWC's cap experiment in 2009 was to be mandatory, but there were different usage tiers. Unlimited initially was not one of them until we rallied the local politicians. Then they offered unlimited for $150/month. We told them to pound salt.

Any effort to implement mandatory caps in western NY, Texas, or North Carolina will, I promise, be met with political involvement and picket protests. The mailing list is already there to activate consumers if and when they try. I find it remarkable other consumers don't do the same thing. It proved remarkably effective.

Usage caps are NEVER about saving you money. We've proven that about 8,000 times.

You can buy a low cost plan without a cap with TWC today, BTW. It's a much better option that watching some usage gas gauge.

zoom314
join:2005-11-21
Yermo, CA

zoom314

Member

Re: Mandatory Low Caps?

Agreed, TWC should pound salt, if they try this mandatory junk again and I live in the CA High Desert...
war59312
join:2001-03-02
Elgin, SC

war59312

Member

Cutting lines..

The very moment TWC and others try to really push this crap down customers throats..

They will find that they have no customers, as mark my words, major cable lines will be cut...

These shit bag companies will be forced to go out of business or give in to public demand.

That said, the evil NSA may make it happen first.

Stay tuned. Going to be hell of a joy ride.

kevinds
Premium Member
join:2003-05-01
Calgary, AB

kevinds

Premium Member

Maybe if the total cost was $5

If the cost of "Essentials" was $5, and included the first 5GB of traffic, $5/GB or $1/GB or whatever unit-based-billing rate they come up with, that would be good, and fair.

More like electricty, you pay a base-rate and then are charged for usage.
Joe12345678
join:2003-07-22
Des Plaines, IL

Joe12345678

Member

Re: Maybe if the total cost was $5

said by kevinds:

If the cost of "Essentials" was $5, and included the first 5GB of traffic, $5/GB or $1/GB or whatever unit-based-billing rate they come up with, that would be good, and fair.

More like electricty, you pay a base-rate and then are charged for usage.

But with cable that base rate should be an line change and have it's own line on the bill and it should be on all cable bills and not part of the TV , phone , HSI price.

rchandra
Stargate Universe fan
Premium Member
join:2000-11-09
14225-2105
ARRIS ONT1000GJ4
EnGenius EAP1250

rchandra

Premium Member

Goodbye TWC, hello Verizon

If that is imposed on me instead of being voluntary, as long as Verizon doesn't do something similar, it'll be bye-bye TWC HSI (formerly Road Runner), hello FiOS. Heck, at that point, I may even take the cord cutting plunge, and discontinue my video service too, and buy a Roku and a Netflix subscription instead. (Verizon do not offer video in my particular area, and haven't for the over four years I've been here.)

The only question will be, is it out of the frying pan and into the fire? I hear Verizon customer service, especially billing, can be problematic. I know about this firsthand, when my apartment in south Buffalo was magically moved 4000 or so wire feet, where my downstream was cut in half and upstream by two-thirds.
whiteyonenh
join:2004-08-09
Keene, NH

whiteyonenh

Member

So...

Bets on grandma taking this package cause it's "cheaper" and she doesn't use it that much, then grand-kids coming over and watching a lot of Netflix during a school vacation and blowing through the cap? Or hopefully the grand-kids don't play PC games and get their updates via Steam or Origin. Now grandma is pissed because she has a nice bandwidth bill, and the grand-kids had no idea that grandma's internet wasn't unlimited. Point is, there's way too many things that auto-launch/login, and then automatically download updates for a low-cap plan to really be economical, if they (time warner) want to do this, then it should at least be a bit higher so that there's less of a likelihood of hitting the cap and pushing it over, otherwise it's just a moneygrab, and the potential for bad press is high considering consumers for the most part have no clue what a GB is.
GeoTel
join:2013-06-21
Longwood, FL

GeoTel

Member

Re

You feel bad for anyone who signs up for the Under Essentials plan (5 GB cap and $1 per gigabyte overages). If someone didn't quite understand what they were getting into, in just one month, that could add up quickly to an enormous bill.

Swindle
Shattered Dreams
join:2006-07-24
Tampa, FL

Swindle

Member

Dial It Up ...

Back To The Future ... Dial-Up!
Timmn
join:2000-04-23
Tinley Park, IL

Timmn

Member

Re: Dial It Up ...

said by Swindle:

Back To The Future ... Dial-Up!

I know you were trying to be funny, but you may just be right.
jimzzzak
Premium Member
join:2006-10-08
Austin, TX

jimzzzak

Premium Member

Already paying a lot and will not pay more

Geez. The greed of TWC is neverending.

The entire city of Austin rose against a proposed cap in unison.

I pay for the highest tier available and have a huge cable package too.

If they want to lose me and my GB-gobbling, then please apply a cap, even better yet, a low cap.

I don't think they will, however, because Google fiber is on the way here
egilbe
join:2011-03-07

egilbe

Member

Re: Already paying a lot and will not pay more

I average right around 250GB a month, according to TWC and I don't even use it that much.. $5 for the first 5 gigs, then $1 for each additional GB? Are they working on losing all their customers? $250 a month makes cell phone carriers look positively philanthropic in comparison!

PoppaC
@hanesbi.net

PoppaC

Anon

TWC metered billing

Fortunately, we have a local telco that offers phone/internet/and IP TV so I have not had to deal to TWC for quite some time now. The local telco prices aren't exactly cheap, but picture quality is much better, their on screen guide guide is much more responsive, and their top internet tier is 80/30. I live in central N.C and remember that they showed people protesting in front on the TWC Greesnsboro, NC when TWC first tried this back in 2009.