What Does the Failure of Broadband Price Gouging Mean to the Rest of Us?

I came across an interesting article on failed internet connection price gouging by Time Warner Cable that falls in line with what SunPop blogged about months ago (Internet Metering predictions). It's a pretty heartwarming story. Here's a quote:

Free Press had already rallied its troops to petition Congress over the matter, and campaign director Timothy Karr was enthusiastic about TWC's decision. "We're glad to see Time Warner Cable's price-gouging scheme collapse in the face of consumer opposition," he said. "Let this be a lesson to other Internet service providers looking to head down a similar path. Consumers are not going to stand idly by as companies try to squeeze them off the Internet. This is a major victory, but the fight for a fast, open and affordable Internet is far from over."

Long story short, Time Warner announced plans to cap bandwidth usage for customers in a test market while still charging more money than many people pay for uncapped plans. The public's reaction was unmistakable outrage, to the point where they caught the ear of heavy hitters in the United States House and Senate. Time Warner eventually backed down, defeated but unremorseful, explaining that they still think their plan is a good one but the public obviously needs to be further educated.

Why write about this in SunPop's Blog? Simple. it's yet one more illustration that there has been a sea change in America, and people both expect and demand affordable / speedy connections that let them do what they want to online.  As sites like Hulu.com continue to make watching video content on your computer more popular among the mainstream (and more profitable for content providers), ubitiquous online video is here to stay. There's no turning back.  Even media giants like Time Warner Cable are learning to accept high-bandwidth and highly engaged internet usage (like online video). 

People can either try to push back the tide or start making money selling swimming trunks.