Andre Yoskowitz
16 Apr 2009 2:33
Last week we reported that Time Warner Cable was planning to test "tiered" Internet access, each with bandwidth caps.
The plan received significant backlash from Rep. Eric Massa of New York, who promised to draft a bill completely eliminate "unfair" tiered pricing structures from ISPs. Massa added at the time: "I am taking a leadership position on this issue because of all the phone calls, e-mails and faxes I've received from my district and all over the country. Time Warner has announced an ill-conceived plan to charge residential and business broadband fees based on the amount of data they download. They have yet to explain how increased Internet usage increases their costs."
That criticism continues to come from all areas now however, notably in the areas where the tests are set to start soon, Rochester, N.Y.; Greensboro, S.C.; and San Antonio and Austin, Texas.
In Rochester, the city's largest newspaper has publicly called on Time Warner to explain its actions, and company executives recently met harsh criticism at any open public forum. The new website, StopTheCap.com is currently running as a way for users to protest the caps.
Alexander Dudley, spokesman for Time Warner Cable, added:
"Consumption of bandwidth is exploding, and that's good, but it requires a substantial investment in infrastructure. There's a vocal minority of heavy bandwidth users for whom this plan is unappealing, but we're not hearing from the overwhelming majority of our customers who will be unaffected by this."