Time Warner Cable says you MUST Pay per Electron

There's big news in Texas as it has been officially confirmed that Time Warner Cable will be testing out new rate plans that include pay per byte transfer. Think about it as if Time Warner Cable were a cellphone company that charges per minute. If you like to watch videos online (YouTube is your tube) or you occasionally enjoy downloading a song from iTunes, you will be forced to pay a premium charge for being a "high bandwidth" user. That free amateur video you like to share with your friends...well, that's going to cost you some serious change each and every single time you watch it. And guess what, the person that recorded the video gets absolutely nothing. Time Warner will send the bill, collect the check, and take all the money laughingly to the bank.

The "new" cellphone provider style rate plan is purely experimental...for now. Time Warner is mostly testing to see whether people will protest with furious outrage over this sleezy manipulation of leverage. So far the math works for Time Warner. They just need to see if people will actually let them take advantage. You get charged a minimum fee, and they guarantee substantial profits regardless of you barely ever using the service. When you do decide to log on to the internet, you will be essentially paying a TAX on every single electron that passes through the network...with or without your consent. God forbid that this pay per electron rate plan becomes common practice!

You are getting screwed a lot harder than the way cellphones do you over. Cellphones are very controllable in the amount of information that gets passed through the system. Taxes are per minute...and you always have a sense of how long you've been on the phone. The internet is a HUGELY different story. You simply are never aware of the vast amount of data that is swimming through the networks, despite a seemingly simple looking website. Mainstream news sites like the NY Times have at least 6 dedicated services pushing information to your computer just on the front page. Most of the services relate to advertising...to which YOU will be paying an EXTRA TAX on. I downloaded the front page of the NY Times and the single html file was over 700kb!!! That's like listening to almost one-third of your favorite mp3.

The biggest problem I have with Time Warner Cable's change in billing strategy is the detrimental economic impact it will have. There are four big industries that can substantially sway us into deeper recessions or higher inflations: Telecommunications, Water & Power, Oil, and Cable. When they raise their rates, you have less money for food. Increases in your phone, water & power, and gasoline bills have already stabbed a deep wound in your pockets. It looks like Cable is working to deliver the final blow. I wouldn't be bold enough to forecast economic depression...but with lower salary raises, higher prices, a panicky stock market, and less jobs becoming available, we can definitely see some dark clouds in the sky.

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