Across the country, Time Warner Cable subscribers are losing access to RT – Russia Today, just as tensions rise between governments in Moscow and Kiev.

The 24-hour news and information channel funded by the Kremlin’s Federal Agency on Press and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation, provides news and views from across Russia, as well as a full schedule of international affairs and political/opinion programming, some produced in the United States. The network has been the subject of criticism for its coverage, which some believe is biased in favor of the Putin government’s world view.

Some Time Warner Cable systems dropped the network in January, but others are switching the network off this month. Time Warner Cable did not announce the channel drop in upstate New York and has no explanation for the reason the network was discontinued.

Customers still interested in watching the network can find a live stream of RT available free of charge on the network’s website.

The loss of RT will not result in a lower cable bill. Time Warner Cable recently added Al Jazeera America to most of its cable systems and is planning to add a number of new channels this month:

• Liquidation Channel: A 24/7 home shopping and auction channel featuring jewelry and accessories;
• EPIX: A premium movie channel. TWC will add: EPIX1 East, EPIX1 EAST HD, EPIX1 West, EPIX1 WEST HD, EPIX 2, EPIX 2 HD, EPIX 3, EPIX 3 HD and EPIX Drive-In March 18;
• TWC Sportsnet Los Angeles SD & HD arrives at the end of this month;
• TVG: A horse racing and online horse betting network. Coming April 1;
• Vivid TV: A hardcore porn channel featuring titles produced by studio Vivid Entertainment

Should regulators bless the coupling of Comcast and Time Warner Cable, some TWC customers will not be invited to the wedding.

In an effort to appease Washington, Comcast is voluntarily abiding by a 30% market share cap the company itself successfully sued to overturn in federal court. That means Comcast plans to voluntarily shed the three million Time Warner Cable customers that would put the company over its self-imposed limit.

Comcast is so confident its merger will win approval, the company is already contemplating what to do with the orphaned customers. Bloomberg News reports Comcast is considering launching a new publicly traded independent cable company to manage the ex-Time Warner customers. It would automatically be the fourth largest cable company in the country, behind the super-sized Comcast, Cox Communications, and Charter Cable. Comcast would use the new entity to claim it was creating a new “cable competitor” in the industry, despite the fact it would almost certainly never compete in markets where other cable companies already offer service.

Other cable companies are already expressing interest in picking up the stranded TWC customers. Among the suitors:

• Charter Communications, which lost its original bid to take over Time Warner Cable;
• Bright House Networks, which now serves markets in the southern U.S.;
• Suddenlink Communications, which primarily serves rural communities and small cities ignored by larger providers.

Comcast hasn’t announced what cities will not be included in the Comcast-TWC merger, and does not plan to decide until at least late spring. Financial strategists are recommending Comcast “spinout” the subscribers to a new entity that would be loaded up with debt to win significant tax savings from the transaction. The new cable company would likely be worth at least $17 billion.

[flv]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/Bloomberg Comcast Might Spin Off TWC Subs 2-28-14.flv[/flv]

Bloomberg News reports Comcast would be in the enviable position of creating its own “competitor” by spinning off certain Time Warner Cable customers into a new company Comcast would launch. (2:45)

Time Warner Cable phone customers with Unlimited Home Phone calling can now place toll-free calls to Mexico, the company announced today.

Most Time Warner Cable phone customers are already signed up with the Unlimited Home Phone plan, which provides free-calling to the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“The expansion of our most popular Phone plan to include unlimited calls to Mexico will bring huge value to the millions of TWC Home Phone users who have friends and family in Mexico,” said Jeff Lindsay, general manager for Home Phone at TWC. “We’re excited to offer truly unlimited calling to Mexico as part of our main calling plan.”

Customers can make unlimited toll-free calls to both Mexican landline and cellular numbers.

The cable company also gave room in its press release to congratulatory comments from the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and The National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL) — two Latino organizations that receive financial support from large cable and phone companies and often appeal to regulators on behalf of the telecom industry.

LULAC counts Time Warner Cable as a member of its Corporate Alliance and partner organization.

The NHCSL receives support and assistance from a variety of cable and phone companies including Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T and regularly appeals to federal regulators advocating the public policy agenda of Big Telecom companies.

[flv]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/TWC TWC Free Calls to Mexico 3-3-14.mp4[/flv]

Ray de los Santos, director of LULAC in Dallas delivered this jumbled word salad about Time Warner Cable’s addition of free-calling to Mexico. (0:36)

Britt

Former Time Warner Cable CEO just picked up another $4,125,900 selling another 30,000 shares of the Time Warner Cable stock he accumulated before his retirement.

Britt’s lucrative compensation and retirement package regularly provided Britt with extra shares of company stock he is now selling off as the company contemplates its future as part of Comcast.

Despite the sale on Feb. 26, Britt still owns shares of the company valued at about $24,417,351. Britt sold 30,000 shares of company stock just two weeks ago for $4.3 million.

At the same time Britt is selling his shares, Time Warner Cable has announced rate increases amounting to an average of 6.4 percent on television and broadband service.

A new $2.25 monthly Broadcast TV Fee will also begin appearing on television customer bills this month. Time Warner Cable blamed the rate hike on increased costs.

Austin is getting an upgrade just in time for competition with AT&T and Google.

There is no market for super-fast broadband speeds, unless your competitor decides to offer them.

Time Warner Cable customers in Austin will benefit from major Internet speed increases that the company insists have nothing to do with its competition.

Google is planning to offer gigabit broadband in select neighborhoods and AT&T is delivering 300Mbps service to a limited number of Austin customers over its slowly expanding fiber network. Coincidentally, Time Warner Cable now plans to match AT&T’s current top speed of 300Mbps beginning this summer.

“Our Austin network allows us to implement the speed increases quickly, and since it’s a rapidly growing market where we know there is demand for faster speeds, we’re moving forward with this aspect right away,” a spokeswoman for Time Warner Cable wrote in an email to CED.

“These substantial speed increases mean Time Warner Cable Internet customers have incredibly powerful new choices for services and features to meet their needs,” said Kathy Brabson, area vice president of operations for Time Warner Cable in Central Texas. “In stark contrast to our competitors, upon completion of this short roll out phase, these faster speeds and choices will be available to every Time Warner Cable customer in every area we serve in the Austin market, not just select neighborhoods.”

Time Warner has also been furiously expanding its Wi-Fi service, available at no cost to Internet customers with Standard Internet or above. To date the company has installed more than 1,300 hotspots with another 1,000 scheduled for installation this year.

Along with Austin, the other areas that will get new speeds include Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, San Marcos, Elgin, Marble Falls, Lockhart, Bastrop, Fredericksburg, Taylor, Smithville, Wimberley, Liberty Hill, Lago Vista, Buda, Kyle, Elroy, and Lakeway.

Business Services customers in the area will also have access and can upgrade their service as the new plans are introduced starting this summer. TWC Business Services will introduce the new speed plans of 100 x 10, 200 x 20 and 300 x 20 as add-on options to its existing Wideband plans.

Current Standard Internet and above customers will receive new modems, likely produced by Arris or Technicolor. More information will be sent to customers as the launch dates approach. It is unclear if customers will have to pay to rent the new modems, will get to use them for free, and/or if they will be available separately for purchase.