| If knowledge is power, then Chip Rosenthal is empowering thousands of Central Texas consumers, like himself, who object to Time-Warner Cable's controversial plans to meter broadband Internet usage. Rosenthal, an Austin-based technology advocate and community technology leader, has created the Austin Broadband Information Center (http://www.austinbroadband.info). The new, independent web site will track news and information related to the national controversy with a special focus on how the proposal impacts Austin residents.
This month, it was revealed that Time-Warner Cable has proposed placing "bandwidth caps" on its Road Runner residential Internet access service, and assessing fees on users that exceed those caps. The fees could add about $2 to the cost of streaming a typical movie across the net.
In the case of high-definition video, the fees could add up to $8 to the cost of viewing a single typical movie. Austin is one of four U.S. cities selected for metered Internet trials later this year by Time-Warner Cable.
"People are confused and upset about this," said Mr. Rosenthal. "This web site will provide a trusted resource to let people know what's going on, and, more importantly, what they can do about it."
Visit it: http://www.austinbroadband.info |
