writing

Time Warner – We Won! (sort of)

~ randyaa ~ Leave a comment

The first fight with Time Warner Cable is over, they’ve suspended their tiered bandwidth usage pricing plan for the foreseeable future to educate their customers.  This doesn’t mean we’re done though.  It’s more important now than ever to continue the fight to make sure this doesn’t ever happen. They still plan on going forward with the plan they’ve just temporarily suspended it in favor of putting the meters in place to educate their customers.

I was going to post two letter templates. One to send to Time Warner, and another to send to your local representative.  However; this became a little unnecessary.  My letter to the representatives no longer really applies, so I’ll be drafting a new one shortly.  My letter to Time Warner is still (mostly) relevant so I’ve posted it below.  Feel free to duplicate it, change it, fix it, enhance it and send it to Time Warner yourself.  Please Do!

To Whom it may Concern,

Your recent announcement of plans to begin capping bandwidth usage has created a surge of activity both on the web and off.  People are reacting to your plan in an overwhelmingly negative fashion.

It’s clear that Time Warner Cable stands to make a significant amount of money.  Your own representatives have stated that this plan is meant to generate more revenue in order for Time Warner Cable to invest in its network infrastructure.

What isn’t clear is why your company feels it is necessary to burden it’s customers with extra cost for something which Time Warner Cable does not pay extra for.  Nobody is disputing the fact that there should be more (some higher) tiers for bandwidth itself, but the idea of charging based upon bandwidth usage is nothing short of monopolistic, anti-competitive behavior.

The reason the Rochester NY, Greensboro NC, Austin TX, and San Antonio TX markets have been chosen for your ‘test’ is quite clear.  There is no comparable competition and Time Warner feels they can demand their customers pay whatever they feel like.

You have claimed that only the top 20% of customers will be affected and that the majority of people will actually spend less.  However; no data has been provided to this effect and we have been asked to take this information on faith alone.  That is not enough.  Of the people surveyed over 90% have stated they oppose the bandwidth usage based fees.

Right now customers pay $40/month for an unlimited standard RoadRunner connection and $50/month for an unlimited Turbo RoadRunner connection.  With the new tiered system the current Turbo speed is not even available, and at the standard speed it is possible to acrue a bill of up to $150/month.  This is almost 4 times the current rate, a 300% price increase!

People are turning to the internet for information, ideas and entertainment.  Families with young children, especially teenagers will be hit the hardest.  In a society where most of the bandwidth is used by the younger generation, it would be neigh impossible for parents to ensure their children do not exceed the limits.  Not a single person wants to monitor a fuel gauge of their internet usage.

Many small business owners depend upon the internet for their sustenance and people are already struggling.  It is at this time, with unemployment numbers at a near 20 year high, that Time Warner Cable chooses to place even more of a burden on it’s customers.

Time Warner Cable posts enormous profits yearly.  This money should be reinvested to improve the network to a level which can sustain the increased demand.  Instead of using your current profits you’re asking your current customers to bear more cost.  All for a new network they won’t be able to use without a new higher subscription plan sometime in the unforeseen future.

Shame on you Time Warner Cable.

We as your loyal customers and subscribers deserve more, not less.

Your Customer,

A Wedding and a Party

~ randyaa ~ 3 Comments

My best friend Anthony’s wedding was this weekend and I had the honor of being best man.  One of the biggest (or at least the most stressful) responsibilities of the best man is the toast.  I’ve never had to speak in front of that many people before but I think it went over relatively well.

My Speech:

Ladies and gentlemen, if there’s anybody here this afternoon who’s feeling nervous, apprehensive and queasy at the thought of what lies ahead, it’s probably because you just got married to Anthony Ventura.

When I sat down to write this thing I had no clue where to start.

Some people tell jokes, but I’m not that funny.
Some people write a poem, but I can’t rhyme.
Some people give advice, but I’ve only been married a year so the only advice I have is to shut up and let her do the talking.

Since I can’t do any of those the best thing I came up with is to tell everyone how I got to know the lovely new Mr & Mrs Ventura.  The only problem is, I’ve known Anthony for so damn long I have no idea how we met.  What I can tell you is a few things that he’s taught me over the years.

I’ve learned that the Ventura’s really know how to raise a son, but I have no idea how they deal with both of them. (Harriet you’re a saint)
I’ve learned that Rollerblading down giant hills can lead to war scars the size of your fist.
I’ve learned that Mascara really does look horrible on a guy (Ask me later, I have pictures).
I’ve learned that transformers and Lego’s are fun to play with at any age, wait no not really.
I’ve learned how good friends stand the test of time.
And I’ve learned that a list like this can go on for days so we’ll just stop here.

The really awesome part of having a friend like Anthony is that every time we see each other, even if its after months or years apart, it’s back to the same old shenanigans, drinking past 2am and befriending trashcans (or toilets).  He’s always only a phone call away any time you need to patch a hole in a wall or get away from your pets for 2 weeks.

I remember the first time I met Meg. It was Anthony’s birthday and he wanted me to come out to MacGregors to meet this stunning girl he had been seeing.  A few Irish Car Bombs later and there we were, 2 country boys and a beautiful blond stuck in front of Deer Hunter the video game.  When Meg proved she had what it takes to kill more Bambies than us I told him:

“Any woman that can shoot a toy gun like that is worth keeping!”

I was right because he’s definitely getting the better end of the deal.  Anthony, you are a lucky groom – you’ve married Meg, who’s beautiful, smart, funny, warm, loving and caring, and she deserves a good husband. Thank God you married her before she found one.

I’ve been told that Meg is good at a lot of things but directions are not one of them.  I don’t know how she found her way to their first date, but I’m pretty sure one of the biggest reasons she keeps him around is because she can’t read a map.  Anthony, whatever you do, don’t buy her a GPS device because she might not need you anymore.

I lied, I do have one small piece of advice. If I have learned anything during the past year it’s this. Love one another and you will be happy. It’s as simple and as difficult as that.

From the moment I saw them together I could tell that they’re very much in love and would bring each other happiness for years to come.  It was truly an honor for me to be a part of their day.  I would like to propose a toast to the happy couple, wishing them years upon years of blissful happiness. 

To Anthony and Meg…

May your love grow ever stronger as you share your lives together, and may your future be  more wonderful than you dreamed possible.

A Farmer's Thought – Theron Cota

~ randyaa ~ Leave a comment

My first cousin once removed Theron Cota was once a published poet. He was not very well known, in fact probably not known at all outside of Canton/Pierrpont. However; I do know that the following poem (written in 1932 while Franklin D Roosevelt was running for President) was published in the local Canton newspaper in 1980:

A Farmer’s Thought

I am no politician, am glad to say
I earn my bread in an honest way
I have a job with little pay
Thousands of others in the same way,
Have many debts with no money to pay.
I have no pull in the political ring,
Just the same I can whistle and sing.

Franklin says he will give us beer,
What will he do with all that’s here?
Our leaders will smile and grasp our hand,
Promise everything good that’s in our land;
All they want is our ignorant votes
They know darn well we’re billy goats.

They sit and smoke in an easy chair,
I will not mention Senator Thayer.
I cannot read or make a speech.
Those that can are hard to reach.
But after all is said and done,
Their pockets full of worn out fun,
We have both parties on the run.

A Sod Buster

Canton, NY