riotdoll on Collarspace

4/27/2009 12:59:31 AM

Time Warner decided to postpone publicly their bandwidth caps for now, but are cutting off users who download more than 40GB/month. I live in a house with 4 people, each with at LEAST one computer.
I figured the router was being nutty again when the internet wouldn't load for me this morning. Went to Megan's and then Java Wally's, both using the RIT ISP. Worked fine.\

Ran into Kevin, who mentioned his mom getting her internet shut off today by Time Warner. I have Time Warner. My mom has Time Warner. I called my mom. She has phone as well as internet through TW. She told me that she called TW from a friend's cell phone to find out what was wrong. They promptly turned her phone back on when she made clear she did not have any other communication other than TW once her friend left.

I guess they didn't want a death on their hands if there were an emergency.

Still at Java's, checked online about Time Warner news, and it looks like they're enforcing the 40GB cap after all, on their "unlimited" service plan. They claimed "excessive use", which is in the TOS.

Let me repeat. I live in a house with 3 other people. We all have 1-2 computers each. I am setting up one of my computers as a server soon. We use WAY more than 40GB/month, and will continue to. We don't torrent terabites of data; we are normal users who watch movies and TV shows online like others who don't own a TV or who don't like paying extra for TV service do. Some of us play MMORPGs, which require internet access. I wonder how the WoW-playing TW customers are going to handle this, especially those in college who live with other WoW players, like many people who go to RIT do. Looks like you'll have to move back on campus just for the internet. RIT will be thrilled. Your post-loan pocketbook won't be.

There is little competition with TW in the Rochester area. Bandwidth isn't that expensive. They're trying to show us how much we need them.
I say "Fuck You, TW" Maybe if they hadn't bought out other ISPs and tried to create a monopoly (which they basically have in some areas), they wouldn't be in the debt they are in and using to justify the hikes and bandwidth cuts.

It's time for the public to take charge and for cities to provide broadband, just as they do libraries. Some cities already have, and are faster and better than TW, and only those who want the internet have to pay for it, just like a privately-owned ISP, without all the bullshit. TW is trying to get legislation passed that would not allow cities to do so. This is disgusting how they blatently move toward monopoly and, because they weild a fat wallet, we appear to not be able to do anything.

It's time to look into publicly owned (municipality/county-based), uncensored broadband. It won't put a burden on taxpayers, just those who would like to subscribe to the internet service from the city/county-based ISP.

Fuck you, TW