I live in Rochester NY and work as a freelance translator; I must have roadrunner to run by business. We only have one choice for broadband and cable: time warner. For 2 years I paid $29.99 for roadrunner “light” (Time Warner)because roadrunner standard was up to $40/month. Last year I get a letter saying they would upgrade me to roadrunner standard at no charge as they were eliminating the “light” version.
2 months later another letter, which said the standard pricing had gone up, roadrunner “light” was 24.99 now is 29.99 (so it was not being eliminated after all), roadrunner standard went up to $35 (was 40??). I called Time Warner and asked why if the price for “light” was 24.99 I had been paying 29.99: lots of fluff..no true answer. Called the FCC was told they don’t regulate roadrunner.. call the Atty Gen. They didn’t know anything about it either. A week later I get a postcard saying roadrunner standard is being offered for 29.95/month for a year. Somebody out there needs to figure out who regulates what, and stop giving comsumers the run around. These companies have a monopoly and get away with whatever price they want to impose, then cite the “government fees they have to pass on to consumers”. FCC gets their happy fees but does nothing while small businesses and consumers alike are stuck in a rut…trying to survive. When gas and electric was deregulated, my bill increased by $60/month right away (great way to “stimulate the economy”)
Please don’t make “stimulating” efforts with broadband without figuring out the actual impact at street level, and closing the Federal and State loopholes that make us pay even more, such as “energy carrier charges”.