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This will cost you $10/month in Milwaukee
Stop the Cap! has learned Time Warner Cable is back with another equipment rate increase, this time for television set top boxes that will now cost $10 a month each, beginning in Wisconsin.
Time Warner Cable customers in the Milwaukee area are first getting the notice of the $1.05 rate increase on their latest bill. The new rate takes effect in November.
“Many businesses, including ours, are facing rising costs and have to adjust prices in order to maintain their operations,” explains Time Warner Cable Wisconsin spokeswoman Stacy Zaja. “We also understand that some of our customers are struggling in this economy, and are doing the best to hold the line on our prices.”
The rate increase comes at the same time Time Warner is introducing a $3.95 monthly modem rental fee for its broadband service. Unlike cable modems, however, Time Warner will not allow customers to purchase their own set top boxes, so it represents a rate increase customers can only avoid by canceling service or negotiating a lower rate.
At this time, Time Warner will not increase its prices for cable television service, just the equipment needed to view it.
The Business Journal notes Time Warner may be taking a chance on its latest rate increase, because AT&T’s U-verse service is increasingly available as an alternative choice for Milwaukee residents. Time Warner last raised the set top box rental fee by $1 in 2011, along with a $5 monthly rate hike for its cable television service.
Time Warner does allow it’s customers to buy their own boxes. Customers can buy their own Tivo DVR box for as low as $70, they would still need to pay $2.50 a month for a cablecard from TW, but it’s still a better option than their inferior cable boxes.
Not if you want full access to services like VOD/PPV. TWC has yet to allow Tivo to utilize things like an IP backchannel to eliminate the need for tuning adapters or embrace VOD (Comcast has recently allowed VOD via Tivo). Time Warner wants you renting their piece of garbage boxes that hardly work. There needs to be viable third party alternatives. If I could rent an Arris Whole Home Gateway from TWC, I would jump all over it and stop shopping for a satellite provider.
I’ve owned numerous Tivo’s, trying to get any of the major cable companies to support them has been a nightmare in every case. First problem is calling to get the Tivo activated, where all you want is a CableCard. In every case I’ve had the service rep on the phone had little or no knowledge of Tivo or CableCard’s to properly handle the call. Then you’re told you can’t simply buy your own CableCard, nor can they send one to you, they have to do a truck roll with a technician that they schedule to come to your home and… Read more »
TWC Customer here, but not necessarily a fan. That disclosure out of the way, I will say that I just added a Tivo to my home account. I now have three Tivos and no TWC set top boxes in my house. I will say that TWC has certainly improved their CableCard installation process. I was able to pick up a cable card and tuning adapter at the local TWC service center without a problem. FCC now requires all cable providers to allow CableCard self install. I installed the CableCard and tuning adapter and called the 1-800 number for TWC cable… Read more »
Is Time Warner’s VOD service really worth it? It’s horrible, I’d rather pay for Netflix and Hulu, not that big of a loss.
It it is getting to be a joke and guess what the joke is on us. I pay $176 per month and have no special. Svc,s.
I will be going to AT&T I guess.