TWC: Killing the internet one city at a time, also throttling sonsofbitches

[Eel O'Brian]

http://i.gizmodo.com/5195436/time-warner-monthly-data-caps-spread-beyond-texas

40GB limit per month on their $55 monthly top-tier package, $1 per GB charge for anything over

when it hits here (and it eventually will), it's instant cancel for me

i'll go with an uncapped, slower dsl package over this bullshit

faster means nothing when you can't really use it

[TakingBackSunday]

Do you have to worry about something like this if you use FIOS?

or am I dumb and that's totally different?  cause it's probably the latter

[Eel O'Brian]

fios is different

this is time warner sweating over streaming video like netflix eating up profits from their own watch on demand services, and pulling some bullshit to stop it

[DJ_Tet]

I'm with you.  Greensboro NC isn't far from Charlotte, I'd rather be with slower DSL (especially if it's fine for gaming) than have some sort of archaic cap.  I've got Road Runner now but I'll cancel once this cap shit comes to Charlotte.  It would be nice if we had other options but DSL will have to do in a pinch.  I'm hoping FiOS comes here sooner rather than later.

[fistfulofmetal]

Rochester... that's like Buffalo's neighbor 

mother fuckers. my finger is on the cancel button ready and willing. Verizon needs to hurry up and save up from this tyranny!

[Bebpo]

My grandparents live in Rochester

[Kestastrophe]

This is bullshit. Internet service is almost entirely fixed cost (i.e. the cables themselves..........and that's about it).

[ManaByte]

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Bill-Grants-President-Unprecedented-Cyber-Security-Powers-504520/

According to the bill's language, the president would have broad authority to designate various private networks as a "critical infrastructure system or network" and, with no other review, "may declare a cyber-security emergency and order the limitation or shutdown of Internet traffic to and from" the designated the private-sector system or network.

[brawndolicious]

This is bullshit. Internet service is almost entirely fixed cost (i.e. the cables themselves..........and that's about it).

I don't think so.  Somebody mentioned something about bandwidth capping in the Onlive thread in the gaming forum.

[Madrun Badrun]

Still BullShit

Broadband internet provider Time Warner Cable seems to have caved slightly to the rising public sentiment against their plans to charge its subscribers for the amount of bandwidth they use.

Yesterday, the company announced a revised pricing structure. While the new structure still charges for usage, it does seem a bit more accommodating.

"Some recent press reports about our four consumption based billing trials planned for later this year were premature and did not tell the full story," said Landel Hobbs, Chief Operating Officer, Time Warner Cable, in a statement. "With that said, we realize our communication to customers about these trials has been inadequate and we apologize for any frustration we caused. We've heard the passionate feedback and we've taken action to address our customers' concerns."

Here's a breakdown of the changes the company is making to their plan:

    • To accommodate lighter Internet users and those who need a lower priced option, we are introducing a 1 GB per month tier offering speeds of 768 KB/128 KB for $15 per month. Overage charges will be $2 per GB per month. Our usage data show that about 30% of our customers use less than 1 GB per month.

    • We are increasing the bandwidth tier sizes included in all existing packages in the trial markets to 10, 20, 40 and 60 GB for Road Runner Lite, Basic, Standard and Turbo packages, respectively. Package prices will remain the same. Overage charges will be $1 per GB per month.

    • We will introduce a 100 GB Road Runner Turbo package for $75 per month (offering speeds of 10 MB/1 MB). Overage charges will be $1 per GB per month.

    • Overage charges will be capped at $75 per month. That means that for $150 per month customers could have virtually unlimited usage at Turbo speeds.

    • Once we implement this trial, we will not immediately start billing customers for overage. Rather, we will first provide two months of usage data. Then we will provide a one-month grace period in which overages will be noted on customers' bills, but they will not be charged. So, customers will have an opportunity to assess their usage and right-size their service packages before usage charges are applied.

    • Trials will begin in Rochester, N.Y., and Greensboro, N.C., in August. We will apply what we learn from these two markets when we launch trials in San Antonio and Austin, Texas, in October, but we will guarantee at least the same level of usage capacity in these trials.

    • As we launch DOCSIS 3.0 in the trial markets, we plan to offer a 50/5 MB speed tier for $99 per month.

[fistfulofmetal]

Fuck them and their stupid "tiers".

NO TIERS YOU PRICKS. NO LIMITS. GO FUCK YOURSELVES.

[Phoenix Dark]

Can someone explain what "40GB limit per month" means, to a noob? I'd imagine it can effect the amount of downloads you do, but what else?

[Madrun Badrun]

Really effect the amount of downloads you do.  I use around 120GB a month (Which would cost 95$ under TW now!)  and my ISP has cut me off twice.  Which forces me to call in and this is basically the conversation that happens

ASS: "Our tech guys have said you are going over your bandwidth limit which is 60GB a month"
ME:  "Geeee Mister I didn't know I was doing that, how can I get my internet back on"
ASS:  "We'll you can upgrade to our awesome superfast internet it will double your speed and increase your bandwidth limit all for only $20 a month more"
ME:  "Sounds great but I've already paid for this months of internet, can you switch it back on and I'll upgrade next month?"
ASS:  "Sure!"

Then I never upgrade.  Though I am going to this month as I can sign up for a student discount which will negate the upgrade cost.   

[fistfulofmetal]

anything you do to the internet uses bandwidth. opening webpages, downloading files, etc etc. you have a limit of 40gbs total bandwidth for the month.
sounds like a lot but it's not.
but it doesn't matter if it's enough or isn't. limit caps are fucking distinguished mentally-challenged and goes against everything our society is moving towards.

[Madrun Badrun]

Yes now with streaming video you use up a shit load of bandwidth without even noticing.  If more ISP start doing this it will stunt the progress of streaming media and other bandwidth intensive technologies.   

[Rman]

These damn ISPs are really killing broadband in the US.  Compared to Japan those rates are horrendously overpriced.

[Rman]

Can someone explain what "40GB limit per month" means, to a noob? I'd imagine it can effect the amount of downloads you do, but what else?

That's data transfers, dude.  Which can be everything from IM, to gaming, to skype, to youtube and hulu streaming.  It's fracking useless, dude.

[Madrun Badrun]

These damn ISPs are really killing broadband in the US.  Compared to Japan those rates are horrendously overpriced.

yes but you can't really compare infrastructure of an island to a country the size of the states. 

[Rman]

These damn ISPs are really killing broadband in the US.  Compared to Japan those rates are horrendously overpriced.

yes but you can't really compare infrastructure of an island to a country the size of the states. 

But the infrastructure is already here in most major cities.  I doubt these ISPs are really being strained from data downloads.  They are doing this because they know they can.

[DJ_Tet]

It's classic.  With the way ads are becoming more pervasive eventually we'll be paying for our own advertising.  TWC can eat a dick if they come to Charlotte like that.  I'm not paying per GB for internet, I'll learn to live without if I have to.

[EmCeeGrammar]

The boundless benefits of Capitalism. 
In all seriousness you guys are making this sound like a crime against humanity.  Don't be silly. 

[pilonv1]

lol welcome to broadband in australia.

[Madrun Badrun]

The boundless benefits of Capitalism. 
In all seriousness you guys are making this sound like a crime against humanity.  Don't be silly. 

We'll it's not like it's genocide or anything like that but clearly this is more important than abortion and gay marriage. 

[Himu]

Ah yes, the wonderful glory that is capitalism.

[Eel O'Brian]

at least under the great evil capitalism you have the choice to move to another internet provider with better service and lower rates, you closet commies

[fistfulofmetal]

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Time-Warner-Backs-Off-Metered-Billing-In-Rochester-101948?nocomment=1

According to local Rochester, NY ABC affiliate WHAM, Senator Chuck Schumer spoke in Rochester today. While it was simply expected he'd be speaking out against Time Warner Cable's metered billing trial, the Senator announced that he'd spoken with the carrier, and that Time Warner Cable would be backing away from caps and overages in response to unprecedented consumer outrage in trial markets. Schumer's appearance in Rochester was coordinated by Stop The Cap.com, a blog created by Broadband Reports user Phillip Dampier See Profile in response to a growing push toward metered billing.

Update 1: Indications are Time Warner Cable is backing away from the plan in all markets. "In the face of enormous community opposition and at Schumer’s urging, Time Warner will shelve the plan for all of their test markets," Schumer has stated in a prepared statement to be released shortly. Time Warner Cable is expected to issue an announcement sometime this afternoon.

we win

[Madrun Badrun]

 

[Ganhyun]

ehh somehow i missed this thread.  Glad to see the usage charges going away, but I really want the 40GbE and 100GbE standards to get approved way before june of 2010. We could use that kind of hardware in the core of the US networks now.

[Himu]

YEEEEE HAWWWWWW

[drozmight]

YEEEEE HAWWWWWW

 

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[Tauntaun]

YEEEEE HAWWWWWW

 

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Holy crap!                 :'(

[DJ_Tet]

Great news, but Obama should smash up their High Speed Internet monopolies anyway for even considering such a stupid move.  The only reason they are backing down is so they can keep their control over public infrastructure.

Either improve the infrastructure or open up cable internet to competing companies. 

[Eel O'Brian]

So, I've been monitoring my dl speeds over the past few days.  Tonight I was getting as low as 150kbps.  And I pay for Road Runner TURBOlol.  They're obviously throttling bandwidth, which is why our skype connection was such absolute dogshit when we recorded the last borecast.  Last straw, I'm calling about a DSL package tomorrow.  When I get switched over I'm cancelling all TWC services.  They can eat a bowl full of testes.

[Bloodwake]

Road Runner fast my ass.

[Human Snorenado]

So, I've been monitoring my dl speeds over the past few days.  Tonight I was getting as low as 150kbps.  And I pay for Road Runner TURBOlol.  They're obviously throttling bandwidth, which is why our skype connection was such absolute dogshit when we recorded the last borecast.  Last straw, I'm calling about a DSL package tomorrow.  When I get switched over I'm cancelling all TWC services.  They can eat a bowl full of testes.

That beats Road Runner lite, which apparently means "your modem will work roughly 1/4 of the time".  Or at least that's what it means this week.  Fucking crap.

[TVC15]

at least under the great evil capitalism you have the choice to move to another internet provider with better service and lower rates, you closet commies

Maybe in the city, but this was certainly not the case in Bumfuck, PA.  But then again, dealing with the internet monopoly there probably wouldn't take priority over the cable TV monopoly or the newspaper monopoly.

[Eel O'Brian]

i don't think cable companies should be allowed to make deals with townships and such and monopolize an area, either

[TVC15]

i don't think cable companies should be allowed to make deals with townships and such and monopolize an area, either

I think at least some of these various monopolies rise not because of shady deals, but because potential competitors do not see a worthwhile return for entering that particular market.  This is likely true of lots of really rural places.

[Eel O'Brian]

also true, but the way the us government keystone kops up everything they touch leads me to believe that we'd all be back to using prodigy on dial-up within a year

[Bloodwake]

also true, but the way the us government keystone kops up everything they touch leads me to believe that we'd all be back to using prodigy on dial-up within a year

My thoughts exactly after reading about this bullshit TWC is pulling/has pulled.

And in London/Berea, your options are Time Warner RoadRunner(R) Cable or WindStream (TM) DSL. There is no competition in either market and they are monopolized. Some parts of London near the south part of town get pulled into New Wave Communications, but that's not really a choice unless you are willing to move to a new house.