Expect Road Runner Standard in the Los Angeles area to cost us now $52.99 from $50.99, when will these price increases end? We cant absorb this much longer. However if they don’t cap data for the time being to a fair use standard then the price suggested for their service is still a good deal.

But when people are facing tough times people do have to make tough choices. My relationship with Time Warner was not as stable when we first started, but the service has been pretty good.

Could there be ways we could save money like not wanting espn3 access? Maybe that could shave off 1.00 off our bill.

Problem is Time Warner and other cable providers are also competing with competors such as Verizon’s Fios service which offers the services at slightly cheaper prices. If my land lord authorized the install of fios on his home I would have been happy because Verizon is offering real good prices for phone/television and internet service which would save like over thirty bucks a month. Since I am not allowed authorization to install Fios and convert the phone system to fiber, I am at the mercy of Time Warner.

I miss the days of dialup where there was competition for service and prices were very affordable.

I know this is one of the reasons for net neutrality. There are so few pipelines to the Internet and due to the lack of choices for high speed internet government wants to regulate the sector. I know there is over 5 different choices in most markets from Satellite, DSL, Fiber Optic, Cable and Wireless. However these sectors are generally monopolies where there is no competing businesses in their field where you do not see Comcast and Time Warner slugging at it for each other.

I know I am generally conservative and government should not always be the answer, but if there is no choice then how can we have a free market? I know due to our nation’s vast size it is difficult to get a high speed network like South Korea, but with some American exceptionalism and entrepreneurship we could get something working such as Internet service over power lines.

I am not asking for a free lunch, but companies should not price out their customers either.

I hope Time Warner enjoys losing some customers due to this ill-timed price increase. I know companies do need to make a profit, but they need to be tactful in this economic climate.