In February Time Warner Cable unveiled a new plan called Essentials, which offered customers $5 off of their monthly bill in exchange for giving up unlimited data and agreeing to a 5GB cap. Initially the the option was only available in select markets in South Texas, but now TWC is expanding Essentials to a number of additional cities throughout the state. It’s now available to customers in Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Waco, Temple, Killeen, Kerrville, and the Golden Triangle, reports Multichannel News.
Time Warner Cable expands usage-based billing in Texas
TWC’s usage-based Essentials plan is expanding to other cities in Texas, including Dallas and Austin.
TWC’s usage-based Essentials plan is expanding to other cities in Texas, including Dallas and Austin.
is an entertainment editor covering streaming, virtual worlds, and every single Pokémon video game. Andrew joined The Verge in 2012, writing over 4,000 stories.
"It's opt in, so it takes some of the sting out of it."
Going over the cap will cost users $1 per additional GB (up to a maximum of $25), and the plan also includes a meter website where you can check on just how much data you’re using. TWC believes that Essentials is preferable to other usage-based billing plans — including the company’s own failed attempt back in 2009 — because it’s less punishing in nature. “It’s opt in, so it takes some of the sting out of it,” spokesperson Alex Dudley told GigaOM. “We honestly tried to make it about, ‘If you want to save $5, great.’”
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