Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Mobile
    • Networking
    • Small Business

    Verizon, Time Warner Offering Internet, Cable Bundles Despite Concerns

    By
    Michelle Maisto
    -
    April 13, 2012
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Verizon Wireless and Time Warner Cable announced April 12 that customers in parts of Ohio, Kansas and North Carolina can now sign up for bundled offerings, including Time Warner Cable video, Internet and voice services and Verizon smartphones and tablets.

      The announcement between the two companies comes as federal regulators are still looking into whether such deals, or even such a partnership, are legal or ethical.

      In December 2011, Verizon announced it had entered into a deal with SpectrumCo, a combination of Time Warner, Comcast and BrightHouse Networks, in which it would purchase wireless spectrum and agree to resell some SpectrumCo products, just as the latter would market its mobile products and services. The deal€”particularly the marketing aspect€”raised red flags throughout the industry, with U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), among others, worried about what it would mean for consumers and pricing if major competitors were instead to become allies.

      On March 21, members of the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights questioned executives from Verizon and Comcast, as well as representatives from companies opposing the deal.

      U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) wondered whether such bundles would lock consumers into paying higher rates or result in less competition and so fewer options for consumers.

      “No one is constrained to buying in bundles €¦ There’s nothing to get from these bundles other than convenience or a discount of sorts that the consumer can choose or not choose,” Randal Milch, Verizon executive vice president and general counsel, told her.

      Sprint, T-Mobile and the Rural Telecommunications Group (RTG) are more upset by the spectrum-trading side of the deal.

      “Verizon Wireless is systematically attempting to corner the market for commercial mobile wireless spectrum while simultaneously stripping existing and potential competitors of all their spectrum holdings,€ Carri Bennet, RTG€™s general counsel, said in a Feb. 22 statement. €œThis practice is anti-competitive and a violation of antitrust law and should result in the FCC€™s denial of all of the applications filed by Verizon Wireless.€

      The FCC has yet to deny Verizon or the cable companies anything yet. This leads us to their April 12 announcement.

      €œThe joining together of the best products and services from Time Warner Cable and Verizon Wireless into a single package is a big win for customers €¦€ said Jeffery Hirsch, Time Warner€™s chief marketing officer, in the statement. €œThese new packages provide more choice, convenience, greater value and bring customers a more complete entertainment and communications experience inside their home and wherever they go.€

      As of April 12, packaged offerings are available in Columbus, Ohio; Toledo, Ohio; Kansas City, Kansas; and Raleigh, N. C., with more communities gaining access in the €œcoming months.€

      The companies further sweetened the deal by announcing that new and current Time Warner and Verizon Wireless customers who sign up for a package €œmay be eligible to receive a $200 prepaid debit card.€

      Some fine print on the Verizon Website explains that the card comes with the activation of a new two-year Verizon smartphone or tablet data plan and a qualifying Time Warner Cable services upgrade or new subscription and a minimum of 90 days of services.

      Michelle Maisto
      Michelle Maisto has been covering the enterprise mobility space for a decade, beginning with Knowledge Management, Field Force Automation and eCRM, and most recently as the editor-in-chief of Mobile Enterprise magazine. She earned an MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University, and in her spare time obsesses about food. Her first book, The Gastronomy of Marriage, if forthcoming from Random House in September 2009.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×