Charter Spectrum rollout begins for Time Warner Cable users

Time Warner Cable’s transition to Spectrum has begun in force, with the cable and internet service provider stepping up its marketing campaign and offering updated pricing tiers and bundling options for new and existing customers.

Charter Communications in May acquired Time Warner Cable – and its 11.4 million residential and business customers – along with Bright House Networks, for roughly $67 billion. The resulting company will be marketed under the Spectrum brand name.

The deal makes Charter the nation’s second-largest cable operator behind Comcast.

The mega-merger recalled for some customers the recent deal between Verizon and Frontier Communications in which thousands of area subscribers went offline during the transition.

The decoupling from Verizon was fraught with technical and hardware issues. TWC subscribers might wonder if their fate will echo that of those frustrated Frontier customers. So far, no major disruptions have been reported.

Here’s what we know this week:

No disruptions expected

The Spectrum rollout won’t be a repeat of Frontier – at least that’s the message from Charter. Company spokesman Justin Venech said TWC customers should not expect any changes.

“We purchased all of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks. With this transaction we acquired everything,” he said. “We’re able to take more time in the integration process and not rush to make changes.”

Charter has started converting Time Warner’s aging infrastructure into a wholly digital system. The process will take about 18 months, Venech said.

Different pricing, packaging options

TWC customers might see an uptick in Spectrum TV commercials as the company rolls out new service packages and pricing options.

Spectrum perks include no data caps and free modems under certain bundles.

“The Spectrum pricing and packaging is a better value” than TWC, Venech said.

Better value might not mean better pricing for everyone. Existing customers will have to call Spectrum to change or adjust plans.

Here’s how some tiers price out for new customers, according to the TWC Spectrum website:

• The lowest advertised monthly bundle, Triple Play Select, costs $29.99 for each tier but must be combined into a three-part set that includes internet, 125 cable channels and phone services. A high-definition cable box, with no DVR service, is an additional $4.99 per month. The grand total for this stripped-down monthly package is $94.96. Add a DVR and its related fees and the price rises to $109.94.

Read full story at http://www.pe.com/articles/customers-814434-service-dvr.html