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Changes come soon for Insight's customers as Time Warner completes takeoverJun 28, 2013 (The Columbus Dispatch - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The last days of Insight Communications have arrived. On Tuesday, Time Warner Cable will finally absorb the cable company that it purchased for $3 billion in August 2011. Since the purchase was announced, Insight customers have been inquiring about when the move would happen and what changes were in store, said Time Warner Cable spokesman Mike Pedelty. Bottom line: There will be a few changes, but not many. "But this is something you don't go into lightly. It's not just 'unplug one cable and plug in another,'" he said. "Our team has spent a lot of time preparing for this migration." The company has said it planned no changes to rates and billing packages, has sent out letters to customers about the changes and has set up a website, www.twc.com/welcomeinsight, to answer questions. For many customers, changes will be few. On the TV side, customers will find little difference in the channel lineup, Pedelty said. "They're very, very similar." Phone customers will notice few changes, too. Numbers will remain the same, and voicemail will continue to function as in the past, although customers have been asked to go through some steps to re-establish their greeting and voicemail functions. For Internet users, existing Insight email addresses will continue to function, although customers will need to register at https://registration.rr.com to make sure everything works smoothly. Time Warner Cable has already upgraded Insight's Internet service, increasing download speed to 15 megabits per second from the old 10 megabits per second. That change helps with the company's many new Web-based applications, with the most recent addition announced yesterday. The new TV app allows Time Warner video subscribers who are Xbox Live Gold members to watch as many as 300 live TV channels through their Xbox 360. Other recent upgrades include: an app that lets customers manage their home phone service from their computer; TV Everywhere, which allows subscribers to watch shows online from any computer; and a function that allows customers to manage their home security and energy systems. "We no longer look at what Columbus needs like it's one customer," Pedelty said. "Today, we look at the needs of individual customers in Columbus. How do we provide exceptional service and unique products that specific customers want? It's exhilarating and extremely challenging." Time Warner, with more than 300,000 subscribers in central Ohio, ranks as the area's dominant cable service. Insight was second, with fewer than 100,000. The acquisition of Insight hasn't resulted in a loss of jobs, Pedelty said. "If anything, in central Ohio our work force has grown." Even the analysts are telling Insight customers not to expect earth-shattering changes. "Don't go to sleep tonight and expect tomorrow everything will be different," telecom analyst Jeff Kagan said. "You'll see new products over the next few quarters. With those new products, prices will go up -- that's how these companies work. "But Insight customers shouldn't expect big changes immediately. The biggest change will be the name on the bill." [email protected] ___ (c)2013 The Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, Ohio) Visit The Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, Ohio) at www.dispatch.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |