FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: April 28, 2009
Contact: Jen Howard, Free Press, (202) 265-1490 x22

WASHINGTON -- Cablevision has announced plans to offer download speeds of 101Mbps and upload speeds of 15Mbps beginning May 11. According to news reports, the New York-based cable company will not impose usage caps or overage fees on this new service.

S. Derek Turner, research director of Free Press, issued the following statement:

"We are encouraged by Cablevision's plan to set a new high-speed bar of service for the cable industry. If they will actually deliver the speeds and unlimited capacity they advertise, this is a long overdue step in the right direction.

"It does, however, beg the question why Cablevision can offer fast access with reportedly no caps or overage fees, when others claim such a plan would cause the sky to fall and an exaflood to break the Internet. We hope this new announcement will put an end to the bandwidth bogeyman.

"We also encourage companies like Cablevision to think about the other part of the value equation -- price. These days, lower prices are just as important as faster speeds."

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