Time Warner Backs Down; Removes Internet Caps
Time Warner to axe the caps.
“Metered billing” are two words that leave a bitter taste in a lot of people’s mouths. This was especially true recently in North Carolina and New York as Time Warner Cable planned to push through a trial of Internet data caps, angering consumers to no end, and even gaining the attention of New York politicians.
Congressman Eric Massa was the first to speak out as he announced last week he planned to introduce a bill into congress which places limits on the ability of ISP’s to cap their connections, especially in area’s where ISP variety is limited. It wasn’t however until the seasoned Senator Chuck Schumer declared his opposition to the caps that Time Warner decided to set the idea aside “while the customer education process continues.”
Massa and Schumer were both obviously happy with TWC’s decision. ”We’re delighted that commonsense prevailed,” said Massa today. “The people of Western New York spoke and I heard them loud and clear. Together we have won and I am glad that I was able to play a small part in bringing about this change. This is a true grassroots victory, but we will move forward with our legislation to ensure that any future plans to charge customers based on how much they download do not spring up anywhere else.”
Chuck Schumer’s office has said he will keep watching the issue to make sure that ”any future changes in Internet pricing are in line with what the community wants and needs.”
It will be interesting to see if TWC’s aggressive pricing pitch will effect their subscription base in area’s where they don’t have a monopoly. This is without a doubt a major win for nation wide opposition of Internet capping. As this news spreads, I’m sure that Time Warner Cable customers in North Carolina and New York are breathing sighs of relief. Go team!
The Geek Board