YOUNGSTOWN Speedy Internet services expand

THE VINDICATOR, YOUNGSTOWN
Monthly fees range from $41.95 to $44.95.
By DON SHILLING
VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR
YOUNGSTOWN -- Area Time Warner Cable customers have two more choices for high-speed Internet service.
America Online and EarthLink both began offering high-speed Internet connections Thursday over Time Warner's cables in northeast Ohio.
Bill Jasso, a Time Warner spokesman, said customers are able to choose either service or Time Warner's Road Runner service.
If a customer orders through Time Warner, the price for any of the services is $44.95 a month, he said.
EarthLink said, however, that the price when ordering through that company is $41.95.
Always on: All of the high-speed services provide "always on" service, meaning that the computer is connected to the Internet without having to dial in.
The services offer higher connection speeds than traditional dial-up modems, which allows for easier home networking, listening to online music, playing interactive games and other data-intensive services.
The offering of EarthLink and AOL stems from Time Warner's merger last year with AOL, which required that Time Warner allow other Internet service providers in addition to AOL to use its cables.
Jasso said Atlanta-based EarthLink is the first company to reach an agreement with Time Warner and it has been rolling out the service over Time Warner cables in other areas since last month.
He said he doesn't think the addition of the other services will hurt the Road Runner customer base because the marketing will create more awareness, which should bring in more customers.
Differences in services: The three services have different identities so customers should compare them when making a choice, he said. Road Runner highlights its local content, while AOL High-Speed Broadband features its national content and EarthLink High Speed Internet promotes its customized service.
Jasso likened the arrangement to Time Warner's television service, which offers channels such as HBO and Cinemax, which Time Warner owns, and other channels that it doesn't, such as The Movie Channel and the Disney Channel.
Jasso said other Internet service providers may reach agreements with Time Warner if they think they have a business niche and a customer base.
John Ellis, senior director of broadband strategies for EarthLink, said the arrangement will allow it to expand its high-speed service, which has been selected by about 406,000 of its 4.8 million customers.
Time Warner provides service in Youngstown, most of Trumbull County and parts of Columbiana and Mercer counties.
AOL also is offering subscribers the option of paying $2.95 an hour, plus the monthly charge, if they want to have dial-up access to the AOL High-Speed Broadband network. This could be used to access the network using a computer that is outside the home. Having unlimited dial-up access would cost $54.95, including the regular service.
shilling@vindy.com