Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Time Warner Boosts My Speed, Cuts My Bill

consumerist.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 67 posts

Re: Time Warner Boosts My Speed, Cuts My Bill

#12

Post by jrockway »

krazybig wrote: post #3

This article is factually inaccurate. Time Warner is rolling this change out across the country, not just in the Kansas City area. Here's the announcement from December: http://www.twcableuntangled.com/2012/12/we-are-boosting-down... Frankly, Time Warner needs to increase their internet speeds to keep up with LTE. I have one of the higher speed options and my LTE speeds are about twice what I experience on my Time Wa…

I have a 50mbps Time Warner connection and all I got was a letter telling me that I would have to pay $8 a month to rent a $10 modem.

One thing I've noticed since moving to New York City from Chicago is that nobody has to even try in New York because the captive audience is so large that even the worst-run business will make tons of money. ("We don't take credit cards." "A $5 fee will be added for paying your bill online." "No laptops allowed at this coffee shop.") I'm surprised JFK isn't a Ryanair hub yet.

Re: Time Warner Boosts My Speed, Cuts My Bill

#14

Post by narcissus »

kennywinker wrote: post #8

Meanwhile in Canada, internet prices trend upwards, and google fibre-esque offerings are nowhere to be seen.

I don't know where you are, but believe it or not the competition between Eastlink and Bell Aliant FibreOp are making the market pretty good here in the Maritimes. I think, anyway.

I pay $99/month for 50M/50M internet, phone and TV (with the movie network, a couple of extra 'networks' and the full home DVR). Admittedly, that's for 12 months, but I can renew at that price for another 24 months after that.

If worse comes to worst I'll switch back to Eastlink. For now, though, it was worth switching just for getting Bell to run network cables throughout the house for me for nothing :)

Re: Time Warner Boosts My Speed, Cuts My Bill

#17

Post by Permit »

jrockway wrote: post #11
kennywinker wrote: post #8

Meanwhile in Canada, internet prices trend upwards, and google fibre-esque offerings are nowhere to be seen.

Startup opportunity?

Part of the problem with Canada is that it's less dense than many other countries. Unless you already have serious financing, it's going to be very difficult to be able to pay for your own fiber lines. I imagine the regulation makes it tough to start your own Telco as well.

Re: Time Warner Boosts My Speed, Cuts My Bill

#18

Post by calciphus »

jrockway wrote: post #11
kennywinker wrote: post #8

Meanwhile in Canada, internet prices trend upwards, and google fibre-esque offerings are nowhere to be seen.

Startup opportunity?

Not sure how Canada's laws are, but in the US it is heavily regulated. You can't just become an ISP, even if you could get the city to let you trench fiber. FCC licenses are heavily policed.

We don't have duopolies in internet throughout most of the country by accident or because no one has noticed. It's because it's illegal to operate otherwise.

Re: Time Warner Boosts My Speed, Cuts My Bill

#19

Post by jrochkind1 »

calciphus wrote: post #18
jrockway wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Startup opportunity?

Not sure how Canada's laws are, but in the US it is heavily regulated. You can't just become an ISP, even if you could get the city to let you trench fiber. FCC licenses are heavily policed. We don't have duopolies in internet throughout most of the country by accident or because no one has noticed. It's because it's illegal to operate otherwise.

Huh? You only need an FCC license for radio and other over-the-air, not for running fiber.

I know people who have started local ISP's in the US (10+ years ago, not recently, because it's hard to get into the market now for business reasons) -- they needed no FCC license. Although, yes, by renting fiber from the teleco's not by running their own. But that's a capital issue, and a right-to-run-fiber-through-the-public-way issue (permission from muncipality, as you note), not an FCC issue.

I'm not sure what you're referring to.

Post reply on HN