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GREENSBORO — U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan spoke out today against Time Warner Cable’s recent effort to measure and limit Triad customers’ Internet use. The company delayed the plan this week after a backlash from customers.

“I am pleased to see Time Warner announce that they will not be testing their consumption-based billing plans in Greensboro, due in large part to widespread public opposition,” Greensboro native Hagan, D-N.C., told the News & Record in a written statement. “Access to affordable Internet and bandwidth is vital to the growth of small businesses, which are integral to North Carolina’s economy and the Greensboro community.”

Many self-employed and small business customers have said they feared that data caps and resulting overage fees would drive up the cost of doing business at a time when they could least afford it.

“As a member of the Senate Small Business Committee, I look forward to working with my colleagues to foster the continued growth of North Carolina’s small businesses,” Hagan’s statement said.

Hagan is the first statewide-elected official in North Carolina to comment on Time Warner’s proposal.

Earlier this month, Time Warner announced it would test metered usage plans in the Triad; Rochester, N.Y.; and the Texas cities of Austin and San Antonio.

Customers would go from a flat rate for unlimited Internet use to plans offering 10, 20, 40, and 60 gigabytes of data transfer . Customers would be charged $1 per GB in overage fees if they went over their caps.

Customers can blow through a lot of gigabytes downloading movies, watching TV shows online and playing online games.
They also can eat up bandwidth downloading software and surfing complex and high definition Web pages.
 

When the announcement was met with customer complaints and threats of legislation, Time Warner postponed the plan — first in Texas, then in New York and the Triad. The company hasn’t said it will do away with the data cap proposal but hasn’t given a timeline for when customers might see it again. Company representatives said they want to educate the public about data usage and how such a plan would work.

On Saturday, a group of angry Time Warner customers protested outside of the company’s offices on Spring Garden Street. Although nearly 200 people RSVP’d to attend the protest, only about 40 showed up at its height.

Jonathan Hall, who organized the protest, said he thought Time Warner’s decision to delay the plan has given some customers a false since of victory.

“I think that some wind went out of the sails for some people because they felt like it was over,” Hall said. “But it’s not over. We need to make it clear to them that we don’t need to be educated about this plan. We understand what they’re doing, and as customers, we disagree with it.”

Some Time Warner customers in Greensboro said they were glad to hear Hagan’s views on the data cap, but they wish she and other politicians would go further.

“There has been a noticeable difference between New York and Texas representatives and our own,” said Roch Smith , a Greensboro Web designer and Time Warner Cable customer. “Greensboro’s mayor said she would look into getting some competition for Time Warner, but everyone else has just expressed sympathy. In New York, they’re actually going after legislation.”

U.S. Rep. Eric Massa, D-N.Y., said this week he will continue drafting legislation to prevent data caps and hopes to work with Triad Rep. Brad Miller, D-N.C., on the legislation, since both their constituencies would be affected.

“Our representatives need to sign on to that bill,” said Jay Ovittore , a Time Warner customer who helped organize opposition to the plan . “That’s the next thing we need to concentrate on — getting them all on board. That’s the only way to really win.”

Contact Joe Killian at 373-7023 or joe.killian@news-record.com