Cable companies suck

Did you watch this week’s “Chuck” on Hulu last night? Or maybe you finished that movie you rented instantly from Netflix.

That will be an extra $15.

At least it could be if Time Warner Cable’s exploratory plan to put a cap on broadband usage for Internet users goes into effect.  

Under the cable giant’s new maneuver it’s looking to implement fully in the Rochester, New York area, Internet users will be charged an additional $15 if they want to download or stream up to 1 GB of content per month, which is about three episodes of your favorite show or half a movie. That’s the minimum. The only way to get unlimited usage per month is an extra $150 tacked on to your bill.

All for completely legal activity.

Though Time Warner is not the first company to speak of implementing this sort of policy – typically criminal Comcast has proposed users of more than 250 GB “could get a call” – they’re the first to put things into motion.

Not surprisingly, the basis for this decision is money.

Time Warner claimed the choice was to curb costs, but after digging by Wired found that the company’s broadband costs dipped 11 percent while their revenue increased 12 percent in 2008, the telecom giant changed their tune ever so slightly by introducing the tiered pricing scheme explained above instead of charging every user a flat rate, something the New York Times took them to task for earlier this month.

But no matter the price or the reason, this development is nothing but bad news for Internet users. Whether they download 45 torrents a week or simply check e-mail, consumers do not really have a choice but to pay for these garbage plans, and companies like Time Warner know it.

Imagine if Comcast, the dominant Internet provider in Bloomington, made a similar and more drastic decision than what they’re already contemplating.

Most people would be outraged at the price hike and flood the company with complaints, just like the great people of New York are doing to Time Warner. But then what? We’d all have to go with it because we need the Internet.

Even with a congressman fighting Time Warner in the Rochester area, the chances are not good that anything will be accomplished. Once one of these giant companies gets plans like this through, the rest won’t be far behind.

Worse, plans like this could hamper Internet innovation, especially those related to the continuously burgeoning online video market. This could be a maneuver by companies originally cable television-oriented to kill online video and keep cable thriving.

Even if this was a big plan to curb illegal activity online, specifically downloads, it would suck. Most people don’t commit any virtual crimes, and they shouldn’t be punished for watching a video legally.

This is a cash grab, plain and simple. We probably don’t have any way to stop it. And we thought the Internet would lead to more democracy.