During the usage cap controversy, public officials in the Triad of North Carolina had their hands tied because competitive alternatives for the area just couldn’t provide an equivalent level of service.  Greensboro mayor Yvonne Johnson sought out other cable companies to potentially wire her city.  Unfortunately, cable operators have traditionally maintained their informal agreement to not overbuild, or compete in cities where another operator already provides service.

[This story appeared before last week’s announcement that Time Warner had temporarily shelved the usage caps in these communities.]

Time Warner Alex, bless his heart.  He’s back with another revelation for all of the cities that successfully drove back the usage caps, at least for now.  Since we’re unwilling to play in his metered sandbox, he’s taking all of the toys home with him.  It seems that because Rochester, Austin, San Antonio, and the Triad said “no thanks” to Time Warner’s Tiers, the company may be rethinking deploying DOCSIS 3 upgrades in these markets.

“It was scheduled as part of consumption based billing trial, but we all know how you feel about that,” he Tweeted.  It’s good to know that he knows.

Evidently, unless customers are willing to be force-fed paltry and overpriced tiers, Time Warner doesn’t see the point in keeping up with the rest of the country’s cable broadband providers who are upgrading systems to DOCSIS 3.

No matter that the upgrades will likely help Time Warner as much as its customers.  Given the choice between mega-fast tiers that blow through usage caps in a matter of hours vs. unlimited access at speeds that are perfectly fine for the majority of broadband applications, customers have overwhelmingly made their choice – we’ll take what we have now.

Nobody objects if Time Warner wants to rake in more cash by deploying their upgrades and selling access to premium speed tiers at higher prices, as long as those tiers are unlimited, and existing plans are left alone for those happy enough with what they receive today.  If Time Warner wants to miss that opportunity, that’s their business.  Protecting rationally priced Internet access is ours.

"This series presents information based in part on theory and conjecture. The producer's purpose is to suggest some possible explanations, but not necessarily the only ones, to the mysteries we will examine."

Space aliens.  Bigfoot.  Amelia Earhart.  Road Runner Lite.

Wait.

Road Runner Lite?  The “mini-me” of broadband?  The perfect value plan for consumers who just need to check their e-mail and browse web pages?

Yes.  That Road Runner Lite.

I thought you heard of it.

Leonard Nimoy examines how you can pay less for Internet right now!

A lot of people have heard rumors about it, but for those in western New York, ferreting it out becomes a monumental event.  An all-nighter.  A mystery that Leonard Nimoy and an entire In Search Of… production team couldn’t easily solve.

StoptheCap! reader Meghan wasted spent her morning on a quest to find the elusive “Road Runner Lite,” if only to suggest it to the occasional person out there who is upset because they feel they’re spending too much on their Internet service now.

If she had this much trouble, imagine that casual browser and e-mail reader!  Calling doesn’t guarantee you’ll get instant information either.

The adventure turned out to be so ponderous, we were thinking of creating a PDF for you to enjoy at your leisure.  You could print it out and waste an entire ink cartridge, take it in the bathroom, read it before going to bed, and then use it for the bottom of a bird cage.  But then that would mean another 15 minutes of our life and yours we’d never get back.  Our thanks to Meghan, who sacrificed everything just to help others go bird watching, starting below the fold.

Leonard may still be looking for extraterrestrials, but our crack team has managed to find an option for those that might be co-opted into the Time Warner Re-Education campaign today to pay out of this world prices for broadband service tomorrow.

… Continue Reading

Rep. Dan Maffei (D-NY)

Rep. Dan Maffei (D-NY), whose 25th Congressional district reaches into the eastern suburbs of Rochester, addressed the issue of Time Warner’s usage cap proposal at a Town Hall meeting earlier in April.  Maffei expressed concern about the “experiment,” recognizing the limited alternative options consumers in his district have for broadband service.  Maffei warned that Time Warner’s cap proposal may create potential difficulties for the company in Washington, as issues affecting the cable television and broadband industry are likely to come before Congress in this session. [Courtesy: Rochester Turning]

25th Congressional District Map

To contact Congressman Maffei:

Syracuse Office

Dan Maffei
P.O. Box 7306
1340 Federal Building
Syracuse, NY  13261
Phone: (315) 423-5657
Fax: (315) 423-5669

Irondequoit Office

Dan Maffei
1280 Titus Avenue
Rochester, NY  14617
Phone: 585-336-7291
Fax: 585-336-7274

KVUE-TV is Austin examined the impact Time Warner’s proposed usage caps would have on younger users, part of the “Internet generation.”  Disproportionately heavier users of the net, these “heavy users” are often the ones who will be the first to lose the innovative net services they have depended on, because of the exhorbitant charges Time Warner was proposing to access them.  But the impact doesn’t stop there.  Innovative broadband applications that become unaffordable to use cause job losses, hurt the economy, and allow the United States to fall behind other countries that charge lower prices for faster Internet access.

A straightforward and honest package from KVUE, focusing on the “younger user” angle, and how usage caps impact them in their daily lives.  “Worried,” is the common reaction among younger users accustomed to flat rate Internet.  Many students spend more time online than they do watching television, a factor that obviously concerns a cable operator that sells packages of video channels they may choose to reject.