Time Warner to test Internet billing based on usage

Time Warner Cable Inc said on Wednesday it is planning a trial to bill high-speed Internet subscribers based on their amount of usage rather than a flat fee, the standard industry practice.

The second largest U.S. cable operator said it will test consumption-based billing with subscribers in Beaumont, Texas later this year as a part of a strategy to help reduce congestion of its network by a minority of consumers who pay the same monthly fee as light users.

The company believes the billing system will impact only heavy users, who account for around 5 percent of all customers but typically use more than half of the total network bandwidth, according to a company spokesman.

Slowing network congestion due to downloading of large media files such as video is a growing problem for Time Warner Cable. The company said the problem will worsen as video downloading becomes more popular.

How Much Net Speed Do You Need?

It's easy to get confused with all the broadband lingo being thrown around these days. DSL, ADSL, IDSL, Cable, Satellite, wireless, T1's, upload speeds, download speeds, VoIP, digital voice, it's enough to make your head explode. So here is a pretty good article in the San Jose Mercury News. It's short and sweet and to the point. Click here for the full story.

Expert Calls For An America Without A "Digital Divide"

Everyone in the U.S. should have access to broadband high speed Internet, according to one expert.

Arguing that there should not be a "digital divide", Nolan Bowie, an adjunct lecturer in public policy and senior fellow at the John F Kennedy School of Government, has outlined his vision of America. Writing for the Boston Globe, Mr. Bowie said the U.S. could be better equipped to compete within the global knowledge economy if everyone could access the Internet, make use of online services and had the skills to do so "effectively".

"Wouldn't this empower our work force to be more productive, flexible, responsive, creative and better trained?" Mr. Bowie asked. Businesses could be more successful and consumers would be "more satisfied" if there were a fully integrated national broadband network, he added. A recent report by Edison Media research found that Americans consider the internet to be their second most essential item after TV.

"The U.S. has lagged the Europeans in adopting broadband technology," states Mark Weibel, EVP of Marketing for Broadband National Inc. "Internet providers have recently made great strides in expanding their networks and making broadband both accessible and inexpensive. We're looking forward to a year of fast paced growth."