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Charter Raises Earthlink’s Legacy Grandfathered Broadband Rates

Phillip Dampier March 27, 2018 Charter Spectrum, Earthlink 10 Comments

Charter Communications is raising rates for its dwindling number of Earthlink customers still subscribed to Earthlink’s legacy internet plans in an effort to avoid Spectrum’s entry-level $65 internet service.

Charter has started to notify customers grandfathered on an Earthlink plan that they are going to be gradually stepping rates up, starting with a $5 increase. Stop the Cap! reader Christopher Rzatkiewicz shared a copy of the bad news on his recent Spectrum bill.

Charter Communications terminated its agreement allowing Earthlink to sell its service over its cable broadband network after completing its merger deal with Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks. That left an undetermined number of Earthlink customers paying $41.95 a month for Standard Earthlink 15/1 Mbps service, considerably cheaper than Time Warner Cable’s identical, $59.99 15/1 Mbps plan.

This last loophole allowed some customers to avoid switching to Spectrum’s more costly $65 entry-level 100/10 Mbps plan (200 Mbps in select areas). But now Spectrum is gradually taking away Earthlink’s price advantage. The new rate is $46.95 a month, and is likely to continue increasing in similar increments at least twice a year, until its price reaches about $60.

To help convince customers still holding on to older service plans to switch to Spectrum plans and pricing, Charter will continue raising rates on older legacy plans from Time Warner Cable, Bright House, and Earthlink to remove any price advantages those plans may have originally had. That will allow Charter to eventually claim its plans are always cheaper and better.

Charter Communications/Spectrum Standard Broadband Plans

  • $46.95 Earthlink Standard¹ (15/1 Mbps)
  • $59.99 Time Warner Cable Standard² (15/1 Mbps)
  • $44.99 Spectrum Standard New Customer 1-Year Promotion³ (100/10 Mbps⁴)
  • $65 Spectrum Standard for Existing Customers (100/10 Mbps⁴)

¹ Earthlink service is no longer available to Charter/Spectrum customers. If you cancel your grandfathered Earthlink plan, you cannot return to this plan in the future.
² Time Warner Cable internet service is grandfathered and no longer available to new customers. If you switch to a Spectrum plan, you cannot return to a Time Warner Cable plan.
³ To qualify as a new customer, either cancel service in your name and enroll as a new customer under another household member’s name or cancel existing service and wait 30 days to re-qualify as a new customer.
⁴ This plan offers 200 Mbps download speed in select areas.

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Mike
Mike
5 years ago

Oh well… I know this was going to happen because I called Spectrum back in February and they state “your bill” will be the same in February, March, April, May and the rep stopped. They did not say anything about June and beyond and I know something is going to happen…like a price increase. I don’t like price increase but as anything with a merger things must go UP and not down. Well $5 increase is not that bad (BUT I still prefer NO increase) but at least you still save from $65.00 a month. It would be $20 difference.… Read more »

Psychic99
Psychic99
5 years ago

Interestingly enough my parents (in CNY) were on the old TWC 3/1 for $36 a month (yes it was that expensive) but now Charter has boosted that to 30/5 which is now good for $36. Is this a condition of the PSC and will that loophole expire after the grace period? They don’t use much internet (maybe 200 GB/mo) and 30/5 is plenty fast for them. I used to use the old Earthlink flip flop all the time for them. I told them not to contact or talk to Charter EVER 🙂

Mike
Mike
5 years ago

Hello Psychic99.

Oh that I would not know. If you were the old Earthlink why did you switch to CNY? Is CNY a internet provider? I never heard of CNY before.

Mike
Mike
5 years ago

Hi Phillip,

Thanks for the info and explaining what is CNY.

As always Thanks,

Mike

Psychic99
Psychic99
5 years ago

Funny you say this–this is Utica area. I just checked her March bill and it said $59.99 standard internet and $25.00 recurring value discount, coming to $35. However I checked this month’s bill (April) and the pricing went up to $65 (and just says standard internet), so it looks like it has gone from $35 to $65 now ($30 a month). She was on this mid-tier one that was $29.99 (which was 6/1), which I think they deprecated. I checked back last year before the merger. She was getting 30/5 (I tested), but recently they updated the area to 100/5… Read more »

Mike
Mike
5 years ago

Hi Psychic99,

I will not be switching to FIOS but just curious how much you are paying just for the Internet with taxes and modem fee like renting it (if applicable) per moth after the promotion pricing for 2 years?

Psychic99
Psychic99
5 years ago

I have a package. Gigabit + PreferredHD (+RSN) + HBO + 1 cablecard (Tivo) = $111 (inc taxes) locked in for 2 years. Verizon isn’t like cable, you can renew a contract at a good rate if you haggle. However JUST internet (gig) is I believe $80 and fees $2.50 in NY for some bogus construction fee. There are no taxes on internet in NY. That is the normal rate, and I think they don’t promo it alone, just the 100/100. So you can see for me having full cable + HBO for $30 more is worth it. They give… Read more »

Mike
Mike
5 years ago

Hi Psychic99,

I see.

Mike

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