Subscribe[Editor’s Note: The fast-changing news on the Time Warner metered usage plan and its temporary demise did not allow sufficient time to present a full history of media coverage of this issue across all of the affected areas. For historical documentation, and in case of any potential resumption of this type of plan, I feel it is important to have this material archived here for future reference. Some of the information in this news report may no longer be applicable.]
I remember hearing bits and pieces about the “loyalty program” or extra benefits for “loyal customers” here and there but never pinned down exactly what that represented. WROC’s cameras panned across one of the publicity sheets Time Warner had created to help explain their plan, and I finally caught a glimpse of what that represented.
As you’ll see in the clip below, “loyal” customers of Road Runner’s standard service plan would be upgraded from 10Mbps to 15Mbps, and Turbo plan customers would be upgraded from 15Mbps to 20Mbps (nothing is shown about upload speed changes.) As we’ve remarked previously, speed upgrades on a draconian usage capped broadband plan only let you hit the limits faster than ever, and additional speed is incidental under this kind of business model. Since only low bandwidth applications are likely to be used by customers who don’t come anywhere close to their “allowance,” extra speed makes little difference to them. Higher consumption or “power users” enticed by speed upgrades are discouraged from enjoying them because of the caps.
Incidentally, those “loyalty” speeds for Rochester are already commonplace in Time Warner markets where they face competition from Verizon FiOS. No loyalty or cap required. Time Warner’s “loyalty” program was just the frosting on this cake of inadequacy. Consumers were not placated by Time Warner’s “new and improved” Cap ‘n Tier system of Internet rationing, and they remain dissatisfied and suspicious that the “shelved” cap proposal will be back by autumn like a bad penny.
Also not to miss is Frontier’s very clever injection into the story, expressing “surprise” Time Warner would stick it to their customers at a time when the economy is hurting. Very nice touch.
Im about ready to explode. Ok I saw the video and what I got out of it was TWC wants control. If I could say how this would end and what needs to be done I would be banned. Phil is right this a boat load of people following orders from a half dozen bigshots from a place along ways away. The more I think about it the madder I get. Phil I think we both know where we got our passions from she is 50 feet away. If you were a plant remember where the seed came from.
I will sigh a Loyalty oath when it reads ” Yoy will enjoy you regualar price with all the service now offered untill the day you die” not before. Im not paying $100 or $150 for an internet connection. My system mat be a bit older but it contains a half a million files. I know this from the auto anti spyware pogram that checks every month on the same date Tells me what it looked at and what it saw and what it finds is usually nothing If you had as much as I have running (and im sure… Read more »
Sorry about the spelling I just woke up.
TWC know not what they hath wrought.
Phil and I think it in two different directions on issues sometimes. He is more like the diplomat mine is more like where are the keys to my M1 tank. Being a diplomat can take years…. Having a tank there is never a problem parking or with snow. See my post in the below topic named “back in business”
Rick you are right. With that TW reply just made people madder.
So – instead of the simplifying their stance issue by backtracking from the original plan of being the web’s most notorious Internet Capping Provider, TWC decides to unbelievably *ADD 6 new plans all of which all have caps*.
*Facepalm* !
This almost completely negates their previous “relenting” statement saying that the idea of caps was being “shelved.”
I somehow think the message still hasn’t made it through to the TWC execs.
I think I’m back to being as angry as I was when the story first broke…
Oops – re-read the post.
So this news report came out before the TWC statement that they are “shelving” the capping plans? Ok, less anger, then, at least for now that I know the context.
Yes, the preface explains these are reports that came before the TW shelving of the thing for now. I am documenting this entire sordid affair here as a resource for other cities who may face similar caps so that they can see how it all played out. Also, after last week’s craziness, I have been behind.
Think of it this way I have captured Susan boyle’s song along with paul Potts tunes. Yes im a classic opera freak. I have seen river dance 5 times and I still love it. With these caps you will no longer to be able to view the diamonds of BHT and that would be a shame. Boyle now has over 30 MILLION hits on you tube. Would you like to be cut off from the beauty or that performance? Paul Potts a smaller version of Pavarotti? I have never seen many skinny opera singers there body size is a great… Read more »
Its nice to see that Frontier is interested in selling me the product I want.
I will take slow unlimited over fast capped any day.
Phil, do you know what the status of Congressman Massa’s efforts to draft anti-cap legislation is today? We need to focus our efforts on driving adoption of anti-cap legislation and “educating” TWC and other ISPs about the losing proposition of imposing caps for bandwidth. BTW tell TWC GFY (good for you)!
I hope that Frontier is at least upgrading all of it’s CO’s to handle the additional traffic.
When did that video clip actually run?
The stupidity just won’t stop!!! TWC just released a 10Q…. anything juicy in it?
1Q reports aren’t out till the 29th.
[quote]The reporter emphatically states, “a third of Road Runner customers use less than a gigabyte a month.” Really? How do you know? When you don’t, you attribute it to someone, namely the company itself. Time Warner has traditionally claimed 30%, not 33%, and has never been willing to disclose the raw data to allow independent observers to verify that.[/quote] I’m no longer sure whether TWC has this data. The way that I read a post from @AlexTWC, they don’t: “@bwoodruff Well then we’ll make the tiers reflect the usage…we’ve already demonstrated a willingness to do that. We need data to… Read more »
if 30% uses less than 1gb a month, they should give discounts to these users instead of raising the prices for those who use more.
Alternatively that’s 70% use more than 1gb. TWC likes to publish that lower number because it sets the mind to think that it’s only a small number , I must be one of them.
First of all, I think that 30% number is bogus, second of all, if that number is indeed real, those 30% should be on an already available cheaper tier such as RR lite/basic.
One thing I wish the news organizations would mention is that TWC all ready has plans for various users. TWC has “Lite”, “Basic”, “Standard”, and “Turbo”. So why do we need plans with caps to help the low usage users when they all ready have plans for those users in place. If TWC was truly concerned about those low users they would notify them and offer to downgrade them to save them money.
I was thinking the same thing this morning, it would be nice if the media did mention RR Lite in their reports.