Road Runner (ISP)
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Road Runner High Speed Online is a US Internet service provider (ISP) focused on providing service over DOCSIS-compatible cable modems. It is a division of Time Warner Inc. and provides service throughout the footprint of Time Warner Cable as well as other contracting cable companies. Its services are currently available only in the United States, but were once also offered in Newfoundland, Canada.[1]
Road Runner often competes with ISPs owned by local telephone companies. Its mascot is Road Runner from the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies series (all properties of its corporate parent). When the service first launched with a 1995 market test in Elmira, NY, it was called the Southern Tier On-Line Community,[2] then LineRunner[3] (a moniker that was later used for VoIP service), before Time Warner Cable adopted the current brand name.
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[edit] Tier service
To compete directly with less expensive DSL service, Road Runner offers a lower bandwidth package dubbed Road Runner Basic (also known as Road Runner Lite) for a similar cost, with lower download and upload bandwidth. The specific speeds vary, but the average is 1.5 Mbit/s downstream and 256 kbit/s upload bandwidth. They also offer a higher bandwidth package dubbed Road Runner Turbo (formerly Road Runner Premium). Cost and speed tiers vary by area but subscribers to the All-In-One package (TV, internet, phone) can receive a discount. The service offers up to 20 Mbit/s download and 2 Mbit/s upload.
[edit] Traffic/packet shaping
On June 6, 2007, Time Warner Cable reportedly announced the beginning of a national system-wide implementation of a packet shaping system [1]. It allegedly targets high-bandwidth uses like newsgroups, peer to peer, and torrent networks during hours of high usage. However, reports from end users indicate that connection throttling appears to apply to all applications, regardless of bandwidth (including normal web surfing) or the time of day.
[edit] Companies offering Road Runner
- Time Warner Cable
- Bright House Networks
- Insight Communications
- Urban CableWorks
- AOL through their broadband service
[edit] Notes
- ^ Via Cable Atlantic, now part of Rogers Cable, which provides service under the "Rogers Yahoo! Hi-Speed Internet" brand.
- ^ Cable World, March 10, 2003
- ^ Time-Warner Announces High Speed Data Services
[edit] External links
- Official Site - Order information and support
- RR Online Portal - features Search engine, news, weather, sports and more all on one page (flash player required)
