Time Warner bandwidth-cap trial tops out at 40GB/month
Tue Jun 3, 2008 12:17PM EDT
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Think Comcast's proposal of a 250GB/month bandwidth limit is bad? Under Time Warner Cable's trial program, subscribers to the top-tier plan only get 40GB of data—equal to about eight HD movie downloads—per month.
Word of Time Warner's pilot program for subscribers in Beaumont, Texas first leaked back in January, and now the AP reports that the trial is set to begin this Thursday.
The details: On the low end, $29.95 a month gets you 768kbps download speeds (comparable to DSL) and a measly 5GB data cap. The high-end $54.90/month plans gets you 15MB downloads—pretty speedy—but a still-stingy 40GB bandwidth cap.
Time Warner will provide a "gas gauge" on its Web site to let users know if they've busted over the limit, according to the AP. Those who go over the limit will be charged $1 a gigabyte.
As I wrote back in January, it's one thing to penalize users who are downloading and/or uploading pirated HD movies via BitTorrent all day.
But a 40GB cap for everyone—on the high end? Given that legal HD movie downloads are about 5GB each? It makes Comcast's proposal of a 250GB/month bandwidth cap look positively magnanimous.
Now, Time Warner Cable's trial in Beaumont is, after all, just a trial. It might simple play out and die a quick, painless death.
In an event, I hope TWC learns its lesson: That in the coming age of mass-market (and legal) video downloads, a 40GB bandwidth cap is nowhere near enough, especially for a whopping $55 a month.
Indeed, if Time Warner moves ahead with its trial plan on a national basis I might just have to go back to DSL. Or move to Comcast territory.
Related:
Time Warner Cable tries metering Internet use [Yahoo! News]
Comments on Time Warner bandwidth-cap trial tops out at 40GB/month
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2 Posted by bjm012856 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:08PM EDT Report Abuse
YAHOO TECHS, I AM EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH RECEIVING ALL OF MY E=MAILS. I HAVE BEEN INFORMED TO GET ANOTHER YAHOO ACCOUNT. BUT, IF U CAN RECTIFY THE PROBLEM THERE WILL BE NO NEED FOR ANOTHER YAHOO E=MAIL ACCOUNT. I AWAIT YOUR RESPONSE BY TOMORROW,BECAUSE I GET OFF WORK IN 5=MINUTES.
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3 Posted by nighteye23 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:38PM EDT Report Abuse
/\/\/\ Yeah... cause this is the place to get help with your email genius. Me thinks you probably shouldn't even be allowed to touch a computer, let alone have email.
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4 Posted by nighteye23 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:38PM EDT Report Abuse
Anyway, back on topic... I'm just glad I don't have to use one of those oversize cable companies. I have mediacom at 7 - 8 mb/s download for about $30 a month with no caps. Thank god for the smaller companies.
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5 Posted by enject51 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:55PM EDT Report Abuse
Screw them. This is getting ridiculous. Verizon is pushing FIOS, outside the US you can get more for far less. This greed is so bad that people just need to set up local internet service districts just like some public utility districts work.
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6 Posted by josephthomasenos on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:41PM EDT Report Abuse
Unbelievable - This puts us back in the old days from the 80s where you had to pay per minute with Prodigy or Compuserve or AOL - the internet isn't supposed to be like that. I agree with comment #1 - They need to learn that customers won't put up with that garbage.
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7 Posted by warguild5000 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:40PM EDT Report Abuse
I didn't know there was any companies other then hosting providers putting a badwidth limit on how much you can download. For a gamer that's beyond retarded, playing an online game like Call of Duty 4 or any RPG you could probably use that in a week. If my ISP ever puts a limit on bandwidth I'm canceling service ill miss the internet but forget bandwidth caps the internet tax is bad enough.
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8 Posted by vonzorfox on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:38PM EDT Report Abuse
Go ahead Time Warner cap me and you will loose me. Plain and simple!
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9 Posted by goodwinwilliam@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:11PM EDT Report Abuse
Give Time Warner execs the Dunce-cap. Try wringing more money out of me and you'll be dropped like a hot potato. Enough already people, don't stand for this if it holds up....
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10 Posted by cyrusthevirus81@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:33PM EDT Report Abuse
If I don't have unlimeted I find someone else. and 5gb? lol I can go through that in less than 2 hours downloading a movie off xbox live.
1 Posted by nolo_8 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:40PM EDT Report Abuse
I hope TW loses a lot of customers.