Time Warner Cable customers who bought modems may have to pay rental fee after Charter takeover

[whitewolf8214]

Time Warner Cable customers who bought modems may have to pay rental fee after Charter takeover http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-charter-cable-modems-20151117-story.html

Thousands of Time Warner Cable Inc. customers who bought their own modems for high-speed Internet service could end up paying to rent one anyway after Charter Communications Inc. completes its proposed purchase of the company.Charter is the only major pay-TV provider that bundles the rental fee for a cable modem into its price for Internet service, so there's no discount for customers who buy their own device.Its unusual policy could have a major effect in Los Angeles, where the company is set to become the dominant pay-TV provider with about 1.8 million subscribers.In the coming months, federal regulators are expected to approve Charter's $56.7-billion purchase of Time Warner Cable, as well as a separate $10.4-billion acquisition of Bright House Networks, deals that would make Charter the nation's third-largest pay-TV firm with more than 20 million subscribers.A leading manufacturer of retail cable modems, Zoom Telephonics Inc. in Boston, wants the Federal Communications Commission to reject the deals because of the cable modem policy. And if not, Zoom wants a condition for approval to require that Charter separate its cable modem rental fee so customers who buy their own devices can get a break on their bills.

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[primestar31]

Charter stopped charging for modems several years ago. I changed to one of theirs (from an owned one I had) two years ago, and haven't been charged for a rental fee yet. At the same time, they UPPED me to 60mbs service. I had 30mbs service before, and the price didn't go up that much as they are trying to standardize their service across the country.