Comments on: TWC Defends Tiers, Plans Speed- and Consumption-Based Plans

By: Forget Consumers — Even Verizon Execs Can’t Figure Out Wireless Pricing – GigaOM

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:10:52 +0000

[...] the guise that it forces people to actually pay for what they use. Time Warner Cable made this argument the linchpin of its efforts to implement tiered pricing for [...]

By: The End of the Broadband Buffet Is Nigh

The End of the Broadband Buffet Is Nigh — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:02:00 +0000

[...] off potential competition from online video. The best example of this is Time Warner Cable’s tiered broadband plan, which caused such consumer ire that the company ended up backing down from it. However, when [...]

By: Cisco Sees a Rosy Future for Broadband

Cisco Sees a Rosy Future for Broadband — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:54:49 +0000

[...] ISPs succeed in implementing tiered pricing schemes, some of that passive networking, especially of the ambient video, will be far more expensive. And [...]

By: The Case of AT&T’s Incredible Shrinking Broadband Tiers

The Case of AT&T’s Incredible Shrinking Broadband Tiers — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:40:20 +0000

[...] smaller caps and to also figure out if this particular subscriber’s experience was common. As Time Warner’s experience has shown, metered broadband isn’t something that the public is happy about. By not informing customers [...]

By: Update:Time Warner Cable Backs Off Metered Broadband Everywhere

Update:Time Warner Cable Backs Off Metered Broadband Everywhere — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:43:07 +0000

[...] attempt to push consumption-based pricing. Without any individual consumption information, and a lack of clear argument from Time Warner as to why this plan was about more than boosting its bottom line, it was hard to find people who [...]

By: LUX.ET.UMBRA » More on Time Warner Cable and Metered Billing

LUX.ET.UMBRA » More on Time Warner Cable and Metered Billing — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:52:18 +0000

[...] TWC Defends Tiers, Plans Speed- and Consumption-Based Plans (gigaom.com) [...]

By: Why You Should Pay Attention to the National Broadband Plan

Why You Should Pay Attention to the National Broadband Plan — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 04:01:04 +0000

[...] why this matters, think about your current broadband access (mine’s about 7 Mbps/second and about to be metered) and then check out today’s news that Australia will spend $31 billion building out a [...]

By: TWC Defends Tiers, Plans Speed- and Consumption-Based Plans - CableTV.com Forums

TWC Defends Tiers, Plans Speed- and Consumption-Based Plans - CableTV.com Forums — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 03:50:06 +0000

[...] to lunch with a friend, do you split the bill in half if he gets the steak and you have a salad? TWC Defends Tiers, Plans Speed- and Consumption-Based Plans __________________ For Telecommunications Products and Services, go here: [...]

By: Stacey Higginbotham

Stacey Higginbotham — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 02:17:50 +0000

Willie, no rollover bytes.

By: Willie

Willie — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 00:35:47 +0000

So if it is consumption based that means that my unused Gigs will rollover to the next month right? Have they mentioned anything about this?

By: Chuck

Chuck — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 22:36:28 +0000

The issue here is Video-On-Demand via the Internet.

The cable companies can’t stand the idea of HD movies being viewed by their customers and these companies not getting a penny from it.

Has absolutely nothing to do with network infrastructure issues.

By: Brent

Brent — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 20:05:16 +0000

When you go to lunch with a friend, and you only want salad, and your friend wants salad and steak, does the restaurant serve you both steak and salad, but warn you that you’ll pay much more if you touch the steak they put in front of you?

Anyway, the bottom line is that ISPs need to simply charge different rates for different speeds (i.e., differences in services) and NOT different rates for different volumes transferred through identical fast connections. There are no bandwidth shortages! Bandwidth is 100% recycleable! It is not consumed by using it!

By: Jesse Kopelman

Jesse Kopelman — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 19:16:37 +0000

“When you go to lunch with a friend, do you split the bill in half if he gets the steak and you have a salad?”

No, unless he is an asshole, the steak guy pays the whole bill. So, I guess TWC is about to offer a free tier of service. What, they’re not? Well I guess we know who the asshole is then . . .

By: Ward Mundy

Ward Mundy — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 12:33:02 +0000

Time Warner, Comcast, et al have an inherent conflict of interest in pricing Internet service because they compete in the TV and movie market with Internet providers. Why would they want cheap Internet service? It only lessens demand for their pay movie offerings.

What has made this patently unfair is the fact that the government GAVE these companies Internet and TV monopolies in local municipalities. Now that these companies have their infrastructure paid for (with ample assistance from tax breaks and taxpayer dollars), it’s virtually impossible for anyone else to enter the market. Hate to say it but the government is the one that screwed this up AND is going to have to fix this problem. Time Warner and Comcast (among others) have clearly demonstrated that self-regulation simply won’t work. Their primary pricing motivation is greed.

By: gp

gp — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:37:05 +0000

whats the real problem ?…….are these guys still copper based ? they dont have fibre optics back end to scale well ?

By: Allen

Allen — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 05:54:11 +0000

I shudder to add to the buffet metaphor but..

Video changed the upper limit on what a customer can consume. It’s like they prepared a buffet expecting few people to go back and refill their plate; only to find 20% of the people that turned up are going back three and four times.

The 20% of people with this veracious appetite bitch and moan that the food runs out and the operator is considering changing prices for them rather than up the price for everybody.