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AOL users get cable modem access
By DAVE GUSSOW
© St. Petersburg Times, Nine months after Time Warner merged with America Online, the media behemoth Thursday began offering a new pairing of its well-known brand names: Internet access over Time Warner cable for AOL subscribers in the Tampa Bay area. Time Warner cable lines now carry three services: its own Road Runner, AOL and Earthlink, which also became available Thursday. It makes the bay area one of the nation's first markets where customers have a choice for high-speed cable access. Those customers previously had no choice but Time Warner's Road Runner service, which has more than 150,000 subscribers in the area, or Verizon's Worldwind, which is available in parts of Pinellas County. Cable access, which is up to 50 times faster than slower dial-up connections over phone lines, also carries heftier prices. AOL will offer two plans: $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 has an introductory special of $41.95 a month, while Road Runner charges $44.95 a month. The Federal Communications Commission forced Time Warner to open its cable lines to competing services as part of its approval for the AOL-Time Warner merger. That explains the presence of independent Earthlink. Time Warner also may eventually offer Juno and another Internet service provider. AOL, though, is the 800-pound gorilla of the online world. With more than 31-million subscribers, it's about five times larger than its nearest competitor, Microsoft's MSN, and has a large and loyal group of users who like its ease of use and proprietary content. "We see significant interest among AOL users for high-speed access," said Audrey Weil, president of AOL Broadband, noting that AOL also offers service through digital subscriber lines and satellites. Initial marketing of the new option will be targeted at AOL users, mostly through that service. In addition, people will still have to use AOL software to connect and will have to use its customized browser rather than the general version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer that's now available on Road Runner. Asked why that's required, Weil said AOL is "not just a page or a Web site. It's a complete experience." An existing alternative that will remain available: Users can subscribe to Road Runner and add AOL's "Bring Your Own Access" plan for $9.95 a month. But that combination costs extra for phone access to AOL away from home. To prepare for more high-speed subscribers, AOL is about to release a new version of its software that emphasizes the benefits of faster connections, including music, video and downloads. People can sign up for the new cable service either through AOL (keyword: Cable) or by calling Time Warner, Weil said, and billing can be done either through Time Warner or AOL. -- Dave Gussow can be reached at gussow@sptimes.com or (727) 445-4228.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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From the Times Business report
From the AP
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