Sometimes this is too easy. They underestimate us every time.

The “education campaign” Time Warner promised has begun, and it’s Amateur Hour! TWAlex is back tweeting a “pro-consumer” advocacy campaign FOR tiered Internet pricing. But as you’ll learn shortly, it’s all going to backfire on them as we expose the hackery. A number of our readers are already on the case, and we’ll have our own package letting you know the facts they left out!

Stay tuned!

[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.

[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.]

Time Warner’s metered billing plan for broadband Internet was one of the hottest stories this year in Rochester, resulting in overwhelming numbers of comments and calls to station newsrooms and websites.  For this reason, it remained a hot topic day after day, and got expanded attention.

WROC had a quick report on Time Warner’s change of the original plan to increase usage allowances, but also allowed the company to state, unchallenged, the “exaflood theory,” that claims the Internet will somehow run out of bandwidth as early as 2012, a notion debunked several years ago when it turned out the study promulgating that theory was paid by an interested party (AT&T) in coming to that conclusion.

"Hey Time Warner - Educate This!"

Here are some pictures from the rally this afternoon at Time Warner in Rochester, New York.  Click the individual images to enlarge them if you wish.  Courtesy: Jerry, who sent them our way.

"Give Us Gigabytes Or Give Us Death!"

Time Warner Providing a Friendly & Inviting Image

Every Entrance But One Was Blocked Off, With Temporary Signs Galore

A Lot of Customers Probably Figured They Were Closed

In Front of the Employee Entrance, Which Time Warner Blocked

Protesters Extending Beyond the Building

Protesters En Route

Walking Down Mt. Hope Avenue

In Front of Time Warner

I managed to get down to the rally site at Highland Park with the plan of zipping down to the cable store to swap cable modems and be across the street in time for the arrival of the walking protest group.  When I arrived at the cable store, Wilfred Brimley was standing at the bifurcation point of the parking lot, shooting dagger stares at everyone.  Time Warner security.  In addition to having all but one entrance blocked off with cones and Time Warner trucks backed end to end (were they expecting Hezbollah?), someone got out the FedEx Kinko’s card and ran up a dozen “private property – for business customers only” signs and planted them all around the entrances.

I entered the cable store, which had another security guy sitting at his desk, and one family waiting for service.  I was in and out in five minutes with a replacement cable modem.

Wilfred was still glaring in my direction.  I got back into the car and parked across the street and waited.  Within 10 minutes, the 30+ protesters arrived (when people assume the matter was resolved with Senator Schumer’s visit, it does have a tendency to reduce turnout until people become re-engaged), and more security turned up outside of the building.  The group then ended up on the sidewalk in front of Time Warner and spent about an hour waving signs and accepting waves and honks from passersby.  I shook the hand of one Time Warner employee who came out to say hello.  As I’ve always said, I don’t have any issues with local employees, or even management.  They play the cards they were dealt.

Just prior to leaving, I get a phone call on my cell phone from … Time Warner.  They were expediting my service call to this afternoon and asked if I would be home to receive them.  I asked the lady calling if she could see me waving at her from the sidewalk.  Upon reaching home, a Time Warner repair truck arrived several minutes later and, it seems, found that the new modem may have done the trick.  He also checked the signals on the pole and changed a fitting, and we seem to be back in business.

Also as I’ve always said, Time Warner delivers excellent service to their customers, and the service crews are top notch.  That’s all the more reason why we want to fight to keep the excellent service we’ve had for years.  We just want to pay a reasonable and rational price for it.

The rally, by the way, attracted Channel 8/31, R-News (who didn’t have far to go), and I was told Channel 10.  The Democrat & Chronicle was also there.  I want to thank the rally organizers for their efforts and work on this.  We need these kinds of public events to help keep focus on these issues, and have a chance to make connections with each other to stay engaged.  If anyone has video, pictures, etc., please let me know.  I will arrange to have it embedded here for people to see.