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A problem? Who will you call?
By DAVE GUSSOW In the new world of cable modem competition, one phone call might solve all your problems. Or maybe not. Time Warner cable consumers who want high-speed Internet access can sign up for their service several ways: Contact America Online, Earthlink or Internet Junction directly, or make a call to the cable company's Road Runner and ask for a rundown of the options. Tech support and customer service will be shared by the companies, but one immediate issue for Internet Junction is whether to extend its tech support hours, which currently are available only from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday. All of the other services that will be offered over Time Warner cable have 24-hour service. Company president Eric Feinstein wasn't sure what changes might be made. "We will be the primary point of contact for customers," said Mary Rickert, Internet Junction's vice president of marketing. "And we will provide support for any of the services that are unique to us," such as e-mail and Web hosting. If a problem such as a network outage occurs, that would be Road Runner's responsibility. Yet it's not immediately clear which company an Internet Junction customer would call to report the problem. Time Warner and Road Runner are still working out technical details for the service. Here are the choices and costs for cable modem service over Time Warner's cable lines: America Online (www.aol.com): $54.95 a month for a high-speed connection at home and unlimited dial-up access from other locations; or $44.95 for just the high-speed home connection. Earthlink (www.earthlink.com): $41.95 a month. Internet Junction (expected about May 1; www.ij.net): $41.95 a month, including a free dialup account. Road Runner (www.rr.com/rdrun/): $44.95 a month. In addition, at least one more provider will be added to Time Warner, reportedly Juno. And Verizon Americast operates cable service in parts of Pinellas County, with its own WorldWind Internet service.
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From Tech Times
From the AP |
