Time Warner Cable to stop letting you use your own modem?

[Sonikku]

I'm getting internet from TWC for my mother because it's going to be a lot cheaper than her $100 a month satellite internet excede swindled her on. I was planning to buy a modem like the motorola sb6121 that I use currently to dodge the outrageous $10 a month leasing fee they charge. But now it's sounding like that may not be an option in the near future.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-charter-cable-modems-20151117-story.html

Thoughts?

 

[robphelan]

interesting.. i just activates my own modem yesterday to get away from their $8 fee.

I noticed that they have an approved modem list for 2016 online.

http://www.approvedmodems.com/time-warner.html

 

[blurredvision]

I'm a TWC customer with my own modem. I'll withhold judgment until I see speed/pricing. No sense in getting upset when I don't really know how I'm affected yet.

 

[zerocool84]

That's what happened when cable/Internet companies are your only option in a city.

 

[JasonCoder]

I just eat the leasing fee. Docsis 3 devices are ~ $90 new. Add in good trip lite / ups protection and you're over $125. You'd need a year to have it pay for itself. Plus I figure if it bites the dust they cover it.

$10 a mo seems a bit high I agree. I just take it out on their retention dept. and weasel better rates out of them

 

[postmortemIA]

I just eat the leasing fee. Docsis 3 devices are ~ $90 new. Add in good trip lite / ups protection and you're over $125. You'd need a year to have it pay for itself. Plus I figure if it bites the dust they cover it.

$10 a mo seems a bit high I agree. I just take it out on their retention dept. and weasel better rates out of them

They are down to $65 and $30 refurbished.

 

[KentState]

Purchased this in 2012 and still going strong. There is a newer model out, but I can't even max it out.

http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XC6GJ0?keywords=docsis 3&qid=1455592514&ref_=sr_1_2&sr=8-2

Paid for itself a couple times over.

 

[SparkyJJO]

I just eat the leasing fee. Docsis 3 devices are ~ $90 new. Add in good trip lite / ups protection and you're over $125. You'd need a year to have it pay for itself. Plus I figure if it bites the dust they cover it.

$10 a mo seems a bit high I agree. I just take it out on their retention dept. and weasel better rates out of them

Don't know why you're bothering to compare a modem lease from TWC (which is just the modem) to a modem and a UPS. Apples to apples would be modem to modem only.

Buying a modem pays for itself in a year (or less), and they last a lot longer than one year.

 

[JasonCoder]

Don't know why you're bothering to compare a modem lease from TWC (which is just the modem) to a modem and a UPS. Apples to apples would be modem to modem only.

Buying a modem pays for itself in a year (or less), and they last a lot longer than one year.

I guess because I'd care more for my own equipment. Regardless, after seeing some pretty decent prices I'm feeling stupid and thinking of swapping out.

 

[Sonikku]

This concerns me personally because in addition to owning a modem myself I'm about to buy one for my mother. It's a waste though if some $70 modem is going to be rendered irrelevant in a few months.

 

[Gibsons]

I just eat the leasing fee. Docsis 3 devices are ~ $90 new. Add in good trip lite / ups protection and you're over $125. You'd need a year to have it pay for itself. Plus I figure if it bites the dust they cover it.

$10 a mo seems a bit high I agree. I just take it out on their retention dept. and weasel better rates out of them

I kinda take this approach too, but man it gets old. I resent having to jump through the hoops to get a more reasonable price.

 

[SparkyJJO]

I always put my stuff behind a half decent surge protector at least (including a rental modem back before TWC started charging for it) if for no other reason than I didn't want to go through the hassle of the modem getting hit and having to be without internet for a while because of it.

I have my modem behind an APC SUA1000 along with my server PC. I got two of those for free as some company threw them out when the batteries died. $50-ish of new batteries and I have a pair of pretty sweet UPSes.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

I missed this news. Brighthouse doesn't suck enough already...now it's going to become Charter?

Ugh.

 

[Engineer]

I despise TWC and can only hope that Lexington moves forward on a 1Gbps municipal network. Just got 15% rate hike this month. Need to call and either get them to lower it or start dropping more services.

 

[Ayrahvon]

Mind boggling if they do it. Way back when the phone companies got banned from requiring you to rent their phones from them. Don't really see this as being any different.

 

[Newbian]

Not to mention this way they can log into their routers and stalk you.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

until someone goes on a murderous rampage at a TWC location them I doubt they give a hoot about what anyone on here thinks. Their belief, "Let the pussies complain."

 

[Pulsar]

This is a response by the cable companies to the FCC's recent movement toward forcing unlocking of set-top boxes to encourage open-source competition.

The FCC needs to put a total smack-down on these assholes, but they know the cable companies own their bosses.

 

[marmasatt]

That's what happened when cable/Internet companies are your only option in a city.

Yeah, but they don't know who's driving the bus. People need to cut the cord, and then we'll see what happens to prices.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I just eat the leasing fee. Docsis 3 devices are ~ $90 new. Add in good trip lite / ups protection and you're over $125. You'd need a year to have it pay for itself. Plus I figure if it bites the dust they cover it.

$10 a mo seems a bit high I agree. I just take it out on their retention dept. and weasel better rates out of them

Over 8 year's you'll pay close to $1,000 for a modem that is worth around $100 doesn't sound like a smart plan to me.
Box & modem rental fees bug the hell out of me.

 

[exdeath]

This is a response by the cable companies to the FCC's recent movement toward forcing unlocking of set-top boxes to encourage open-source competition.

The FCC needs to put a total smack-down on these assholes, but they know the cable companies own their bosses.

So basically stamping their feet like a child and sticking it back wherever they can, going for the low hanging fruit... that seems to be a common theme, esp for the past 7 years and going on 8...

 

[Exterous]

It doesn't say anything about not letting you use your own modem just that you don't have the option to have the modem rental fee removed...because there is no rental fee:

Charter does not charge a rental fee, but the modem cost is included in the overall Internet service fee.

So it all depends on the pricing. If the pricing is the same then the people leasing win while there is no change for those who own their own

About 14% of its (TWC) 11.4 million subscribers use their own modem, the company said.

That seems low. I guess people like paying fees

They are down to $65 and $30 refurbished.

They also go on sale for $40-50 for a new one

 

[Anubis]

That seems low. I guess people like paying fees

no it doesn't,

think of all the people who have internet and how old 1/2 of them are, they prob don't even know you can run your own modem nor do they care

 

[Fritzo]

I'm a TWC customer with my own modem. I'll withhold judgment until I see speed/pricing. No sense in getting upset when I don't really know how I'm affected yet.

Same. Seems to me it would be illegal to charge a rental fee for services not rendered. The telcos got in trouble for that a few decades back when you were allowed to start buying your own telephones.

 

[Exterous]

Same. Seems to me it would be illegal to charge a rental fee for services not rendered.

Charter does not charge a rental fee

It will be interesting to see what their pricing is like.