Grr F'ing internet service providers (Roadrunner)

[pl8er]

If you guys have roadrunner, check your service contract if you get one in the mail. Pricks are changing to a 40GB CAP! After which you pay 1 dollar for each GB. I do not have Timewarner, but this is fucked up.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/time-warner-cable-bandwidth-cap,7466.html

Time Warner Cable will soon be expanding its bandwidth capping plans to more cities.


Zoom
At a time when new media and entertainment delivery systems are evolving and leaning on internet distribution, internet service providers are cracking down on the bandwidth that its users consume.

Time Warner Cable, which owns the Road Runner internet service, will this month begin monitoring the activity of its customers in Austin, TX, San Antonio, TX and Rochester, NY, according to BusinessWeek. Roll out of the new program will happen sometime closer to summer, with Greensboro, NC being the first city to see the change.

New customers in those markets will be put on tiered and capped plans with monthly bandwidths limits starting at a miniscule 5 GB for the entry level $29.95 fee all the way to an paltry 40 GB for $54.90. The levels will be 5, 10, 20 and 40 GB, with overages charged at $1 per GB.

"We need a viable model to be able to support the infrastructure of the broadband business," Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt said in an interview. "We made a mistake early on by not defining our business based on the consumption dimension."

With competitors such as Comcast offering 250 GB cap, Time Warner Cable’s top limit of 40 GB seems backwards in comparison.

With video streaming services such as Netflix on the PC, Xbox 360 or other set top boxes, such a cap could severely limit utility or make internet bills skyrocket. Analysts estimate that a family who opts for the 40 GB plan and streams 7.25 hours of online video a week could end up spending $200 per month on broadband usage fees. For the sake of comparison, the average American household spends 60 hours per week watching TV.

Time Warner Cable defends its plans by saying that most people do not use that much data. Basing its claims from a trial of 100,000 customers in Beaumont, TX about 14 percent exceeded their cap and had to pay about $19 in overages. Time Warner Cable added that the top quarter of users consumed 100 times more data than the bottom quarter of users. We explain this simply by that there are those who use the internet for modern services such as video delivery, and another type of customer that just uses it to send emails.

For the sake of the progression of new technologies, we hope Time Warner Cable at least offers its customers a little more freedom in how they use the internet.

[tEh koRnDog]

Wait....someone dumb this down for me..

[bluecar]

I wonder how fast that internet is?

I'd be in for a 5 GB cap if the speed was fast. However, I would want them to give me some kind of tool to tell me how much I have used.

I doubt I use 5 GB in a year.

[pl8er]

Wait....someone dumb this down for me..

Basically, if you download 40gb in a month, anything over that will cost you extra. Doesn't seem possible BUT if you stream movies from anywhere, you are running a pretty steady stream of data, do it a few times in a month and you could hit 40gb, especially if it were HD.

I wonder how fast that internet is?

I'd be in for a 5 GB cap if the speed was fast. However, I would want them to give me some kind of tool to tell me how much I have used.

I doubt I use 5 GB in a year.

You don't watch movies, tv, or stream any media from online?

[IDSkot]

Basically, if you download 40gb in a month, anything over that will cost you extra. Doesn't seem possible BUT if you stream movies from anywhere, you are running a pretty steady stream of data, do it a few times in a month and you could hit 40gb, especially if it were HD.



You don't watch movies, tv, or stream any media from online?

40gb is nothing. That's like 4 games and 20 movies. Which I can polish off easily. Not to mention streaming all my pr0n.

[bluecar]

You don't watch movies, tv, or stream any media from online?

I watch those porns from spankwire from time to time, read the news, and troll forums. That is the extent of my internet usage.

My computer has two functions. Microsoft Office and Internet. For the stuff that needs heavy computing, I have to use the business labs little mainframe deal. It has programs I cannot afford and can perform calculations my computer cannot.

[tEh koRnDog]

Basically, if you download 40gb in a month, anything over that will cost you extra. Doesn't seem possible BUT if you stream movies from anywhere, you are running a pretty steady stream of data, do it a few times in a month and you could hit 40gb, especially if it were HD.



You don't watch movies, tv, or stream any media from online?

I stream movies from my HDD through my PS3, through TVersity.....is this the same?

I have Time Warner....and they suck.

[pl8er]

I stream movies from my HDD through my PS3, through TVersity.....is this the same?

I have Time Warner....and they suck.

As long as it is online accessing data, yes...this would still fall under the rules. Now, they are bringing it to large areas first. You could be fine for some time to come.

[pl8er]

I watch those porns from spankwire from time to time, read the news, and troll forums. That is the extent of my internet usage.

My computer has two functions. Microsoft Office and Internet. For the stuff that needs heavy computing, I have to use the business labs little mainframe deal. It has programs I cannot afford and can perform calculations my computer cannot.

I know you don't discuss work, but you're not a speculative buyer or investor are you? Some of the most complicated software I have ever seen running was from that area. Large clusters investing tens of hours to complete answers. Pretty amazing.

[bluecar]

I know you don't discuss work, but you're not a speculative buyer or investor are you? Some of the most complicated software I have ever seen running was from that area. Large clusters investing tens of hours to complete answers. Pretty amazing.

No. For school we have to run these montecarlo sims on outcomes for various projects. Which is what they are doing mostly. Sometimes run scenarios with 15 - 200 varaible changes (with varying increments of change), over 360 periods, etc, etc.

In my work, the most complicated program I use is MS Access.

[joetama]

That is just retarded. I hope everyone that can jumps ship on them.


I switched from TWC to Cincinnati Bell Fiber and haven't looked back. I had weekly connectivity issues with TWC and they told me everytime it was my computer. But, magically now that I have Fiber I can get damn near 30mbps 24/7/365.

I used a lot of bandwidth too, FEB was 199.94 GB Downloaded. Both directions it was closer to 400 GB.

[pl8er]

No. For school we have to run these montecarlo sims on outcomes for various projects. Which is what they are doing mostly. Sometimes run scenarios with 15 - 200 varaible changes (with varying increments of change), over 360 periods, etc, etc.

In my work, the most complicated program I use is MS Access.

Oh...well just like spidermonkey is a retired seaboat captain you are the VP of a large financial institution sitting in a high rise building on the top floor overlooking the landscaping below. Some things just can't be changed in my mind *shrug*.

and *boggle* access? WTF

http://elgringoloco.com/media/joffice.jpg This is where you work

and this is what you can see out your window

http://www.proceed.org/images/office_view.jpg

[bluecar]

Oh...well just like spidermonkey is a retired seaboat captain you are the VP of a large financial institution sitting in a high rise building on the top floor overlooking the landscaping below. Some things just can't be changed in my mind *shrug*.

and *boggle* access? WTF



No. I work in a cube farm with the only chance of getting a leaky drafty window is someone to die....which means I have 5 - 10 more years without hope of a window.

I am well studied...that is about it.

You know microsoft access, that database program?

[joetama]

Reason number 162 why I don't want to get a large company finance job when I graduate.


Plus, I've already got a nice office with a window.

[tEh koRnDog]

That is just retarded. I hope everyone that can jumps ship on them.


I switched from TWC to Cincinnati Bell Fiber and haven't looked back. I had weekly connectivity issues with TWC and they told me everytime it was my computer. But, magically now that I have Fiber I can get damn near 30mbps 24/7/365.

I used a lot of bandwidth too, FEB was 199.94 GB Downloaded. Both directions it was closer to 400 GB.

Oh I will be.

As soon as Verizon makes FiOs available to me, Im jumping ship.

[joetama]

Cross your finders and hope it is soon.

[pl8er]

No. I work in a cube farm with the only chance of getting a leaky drafty window is someone to die....which means I have 5 - 10 more years without hope of a window.

I am well studied...that is about it.

You know microsoft access, that database program?

LOLERZ, Yeah man...I know what access is :P I just figured a finance company would be using something a bit better, like its on ERP running on sql or oracle.

[Porch Monkey]

Yeah fuck these providers! Going on day 4 now and it looks like more rain is in the forecast. :(

[tapout]

looks like more rain is in the forecast. :(

werd. Rained all night with heavy winds and woke up late with no power. :crap:

[ngsm13]

Oh god...

nG

[Spider Monkey]

Oh...well just like spidermonkey is a retired seaboat captain you are the VP of a large financial institution sitting in a high rise building on the top floor overlooking the landscaping below. Some things just can't be changed in my mind *shrug*.


Wait, I'm a seaboat captian? KICK ASS!


and *boggle* access? WTF

http://elgringoloco.com/media/joffice.jpg This is where you work

and this is what you can see out your window

http://www.proceed.org/images/office_view.jpg
no, that is where JD works.

[pl8er]

You knew you were a retired captain, we have discussed this :P

[Spider Monkey]

You knew you were a retired captain, we have discussed this :P

My memory isn't what it use to be when I was on top of my game back in the late 40's.

[pl8er]

My memory isn't what it use to be when I was on top of my game back in the late 40's.

Years of being on the ocean alone can do things to the mind. I understand

[Spider Monkey]

nDeed. I see dolphins, everywhere.

[pl8er]

damn, can't find it. When we were in Daytona a few years back there is this restaurant that is on the top floor of the strip? Maybe called the 18th floor? She was using her biggest lense and caught a picture of a dolphin jumping out of the water in the waves from up there. Pretty cool picture for being so far away.

[pl8er]

Hell to the ya bitches! A congressman looking out for johnny public. Pretty awesome.

If you thought that the debacle over ISP net caps was just starting to boil, then you'll be even more surprised to hear that the issue has now landed on the front doors of Congress.

New York Congressman Eric Massa (D-NY) promised that he would put forth a bill called the "Broadband Internet Fairness Act" that would "prevent job killing broadband internet downloading caps," said Massa.

Time Warner Cabe is at the forefront of this heated issue. Because of a roll-out in New York state, many customers in the area have already canceled their TWC accounts and moved onto other services.

According to Massa:

"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."

While Massa is all for business profits, he is against TWC and others like it, especially in areas where the ISP holds a monopoly position.

"Time Warner's decision has the potential to more than triple customers' current rates and I think most families will find this to be too taxing to afford. Time Warner believes they can do this in Rochester NY, Greensboro NC, Austin TX and San Antonio TX, and it's almost certainly just a matter of time before they attempt to overcharge all of their customers. And while I favor a business's right to maximize their profit potential, I believe safeguards must be put in place when a business has a monopoly on a specific region," said Massa.

TWC, AT&T and Comcast and other ISPs are the target of the new bill.

Massa's page on the issue stats:

"In addition to this excessive and disproportionate charge, as internet usage increases by an average of 50% per year, companies setting caps sets a horrible, long-term, precedent. At a time when Americans need to utilize all available assets to improve the economy, limiting internet usage, which this plan would do, handicaps our ability to compete on the global stage. Furthermore, it will have significant stifling effects on start ups and small businesses."