Supporters of internet data caps want to have things both ways: admitting that the monthly usage limits have nothing to do with congestion, while simultaneously arguing that those who use the most should pay more (but not that those who use the least should get any discount). Thus it’s refreshing that one broadband exec both acknowledged the congestion myth and said his company has no intention of instituting caps… at least for now. [More]
charter
Stop Complaining To Time Warner CEO About Your Cruddy Time Warner Cable Service
By 6.3.16
If there’s one person in this world who really doesn’t want to be on the receiving end of your complaints about Time Warner Cable’s poor service, it’s probably Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes; not because he’s some sort of uncaring jerk, but because he has nothing to do with Time Warner Cable. [More]
Survey Says: You Still Hate Your Cable Company, But Maybe A Little Less Than Before
By 6.1.16
A major annual consumer satisfaction survey is out, and it’s a mixed bag for the cable and telecom sector and all of us who use it. The bad: pay-TV, broadband, phone, and wireless companies still pretty much really suck, and most of us are very dissatisfied with them. The good: year over year, most of them are finally starting to suck less than they used to! [More]
Farewell, Time Warner Cable; Nobody Is Going To Miss You
By 5.18.16
The most-loathed company in all of America is soon to be no more. With the merger of Charter and Time Warner Cable approved and under way, the widely-detested TWC brand is soon to be up on the chopping block. [More]
The 3 Big Things We’ve Learned About Your Cable Bill
By 5.17.16
Over the last few months, we’ve reviewed cable and internet service bills for seven of the nation’s largest providers in an attempt to make sense of all those fees and charges. So what did we learn from these bills covering cable, satellite, and fiber customers from Connecticut to California? [More]
Charter-TWC Merger Is Done Deal After California Approval
By 5.12.16
After the FCC gave its blessing to the marriage of Time Warner Cable and Charter, the only thing standing in the way of marital bliss was the possibility that the California Public Utilities Commission might go full drunk-uncle and raise a boatload of objections before the final “I do”s. However, today the CPUC decided instead to raise a toast to the mega-merger.
[More]
FCC Officially Gives Green Light To Merger Of Time Warner Cable & Charter
By 5.6.16
A couple weeks back, both the FCC and the Justice Department made it clear that they were not going to challenge the massive merger of Time Warner Cable, Charter Communications (and the third wheel of the merger á trois Bright House) after putting some conditions on the deal. Today, the FCC officially confirmed that it has given its blessing to this marriage of inconvenience. [More]
5 Things You Should Know About The Approved Merger Of Time Warner Cable & Charter
By 4.25.16
Earlier today — almost exactly a year after rejecting the merger of Time Warner Cable and Comcast — both the FCC and the Justice Department gave their blessing to the marriage of TWC and Charter. But what does that really mean for the millions of consumers who will be affected by the merger? [More]
FCC, Justice Department Approve Charter / Time Warner Cable Merger
By 4.25.16
Second time’s the charm: where Comcast failed, Charter has succeeded. Time Warner Cable officially has its buyer as of today. [More]
The TWC/Charter Merger Looks Likely To Happen — And Soon
By 3.16.16
What Comcast spent more than a year failing to do looks to be a victory in the making for Charter: As the Washington rumor mill has it, the three-way mega-cable-merge of Charter, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks could get through a major hurdle and gain approval by the end of the week. In other words, it looks like this one’s going to happen. [More]
The Consumerist Guide To Understanding Your Charter Cable Bill
By 3.8.16 — Updated: 2.8.17
When you sign up for telecom services — some combination of TV, broadband, and/or phone — from your cable company, you’re told you’ll pay something like $49 or $99 a month… and yet the price you actually pay can be as much as 40% or more on top of that, thanks to a heap of sometimes confusing charges and fees. Which ones do you blame the government for, and which are made up by your cable company? One cable company at a time, we’re using real customers’ bills to break it down. We’ve already looked at Comcast, TWC, and DirecTV, so now it’s Charter’s turn. [More]
HBO, CNN Concerned Time Warner Cable/Charter Merger Will Harm Streaming
By 3.7.16
The proposed merger of Charter, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House would create the second-largest cable company behind Comcast, at a time when it’s possible to access most of the content that was once exclusive to cable TV through streaming services. Yet the company that brings you HBO and CNN is concerned that a larger, stronger Charter might work to hold back progress in streaming video, the main competition for its cable service. Time Warner filed its concerns with the Federal Communications Commission. [More]
Want To Help Us With A Guide? Send Us Your Charter Bill!
By 3.3.16
Hi there! Do you like our series on understanding your cable bills — featuring Comcast, TWC, and DirecTV — so far? We’re looking for help continuing it. If you are a Charter customer with a triple-play package, would you please consider sending us a copy of your bill to tips@consumerist.com to help with the next story? As always, we won’t publish any identifying information, but we need eyes on a few more bills to make sure we get this one right. [More]
Did Net Neutrality Kill Broadband Investment Like Comcast, AT&T, Verizon Said It Would?
By 2.9.16
Last year, when the FCC was preparing to vote on the new Open Internet Order (aka “net neutrality”) and its reclassification of broadband Internet as a vital utility, virtually the entire telecom and cable industry claimed this change would ruin investment and slow innovation. But a look at the year-end financial figures for the biggest naysayers casts a lot of doubt on these dire predictions. [More]
Coalition Forms To Fight “Mega Cable” Merger Between Charter, TWC, & Bright House
By 1.21.16
Last year a group of unlikely allies came together to create the coalition called Stop Mega Comcast to, well, stop the creation of the Comcast-Time Warner Cable mega company. This year, a similar group of improbable allies have come together to oppose the latest big-cable merger between Time Warner Cable, Charter, and Bright House Networks. [More]
Poll Sponsored By Charter Says Charter Is Great, More Charter Greater
By 1.20.16
Charter is still pushing very hard to get their pending three-way merger with Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks approved by the FCC and Department of Justice. To that end, they’re happy to push any available evidence that they are not only great, but also working for the public interest. And what better way to gather that evidence than to sponsor their very own poll looking for it? [More]
Time Warner Cable Raising Rates In New York After State Okays Merger With Charter
By 1.18.16
Earlier this month, New York state regulators gave their blessing to the pending $55 billion merger of Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications. What better way for TWC to celebrate than by jacking up rates for current cable and Internet customers in the Empire State?. [More]
Ad Watchdog Recommends DirecTV Cease 4K Claims
By 12.9.15
AT&T may already be killing off the DirecTV name, but that doesn’t mean its recently acquired pay-TV brand doesn’t have to answer for its possibly misleading advertisements. As such, a national ad review board has directed the company – at the behest of Charter Communications – to discontinue claims made in its “Hannah and Her Horse” campaign that suggests all of its programming is available via 4K technology. [More]
