Time Warner Cable Revives Usage-Based Internet Plan, But Now It's Optional

Three years after Time Warner Cable tried to test usage-based broadband billing -- and backed off after a furious outcry from customers and elected officials -- the MSO is launching an optional plan in southern Texas capped at 5 Gigabytes per month.

The operator is pitching the "Essentials Broadband" plan as a way to save money: Customers with Standard, Basic and Lite broadband packages will receive $5 off per month if they stay under the 5 GB ceiling. However, they could pay up to an additional $25 per month if they exceed the usage limit. TWC is offering Essentials Broadband in San Antonio, Laredo, Corpus Christi, the Rio Grande Valley and Texas's Border Corridor. TWC is positioning the metered-usage plan as the broadband equivalent of TV Essentials, the $39.99 per month stripped-down cable TV service.