Time Warner Cable Tries Usage-Based Billing Again as an Option

Time Warner Cable Inc. is testing consumers’ appetite for prices based on their broadband Internet usage again, making the offer an option to avoid protests that led it to abandon a similar plan three years ago.

The second-largest U.S. cable company will give southern Texas customers the choice to pay less for broadband if they consume lower levels of bandwidth, according to a company blog entry on Feb. 27. Customers will save $5 on their monthly bill if they accept a five gigabyte cap -- the equivalent of streaming two high-definition full-length movies.