Charter no longer allowing BYO modem?

Man-of-Leisure

In high-split upgraded areas, it looks like Charter is no longer allowing you to bring your own modem.

The option to use your own equipment disappears from the website in high-split areas, and there’s a note saying you’re required to use their modem.

Doesn’t this violate the FCC rule which requires them to allow you to use your own modem?

Comcast allows you to bring your own 3.0 or 3.1 modem in 4.0 upgraded areas, you just won’t get the faster speeds.

px_eliezer_

Man-of-Leisure

The box on the right says “or use your own equipment”….

However the company also says:

Spectrum Internet customers are offered a compliant modem that has passed our full certification testing for optimal performance at no additional charge.

You may use a modem you already own that is authorized to work on the Spectrum network. However, only Spectrum-provided equipment is supported by our technicians. Additionally:

Spectrum Home Phone service is not compatible with customer-owned modems.

Customer-owned modems are only authorized for non-symmetrical speed tiers. In select markets, we offer symmetrical speed tiers (equal upload and download speeds). Those customers must use a Spectrum-provided modem.

https://www.spectrum.net/support/internet/compliant-modems-charter-network

I don’t know about the current FCC regs (and what the FCC does or does not care about these days).

The FCC did punish Charter several years ago for denying customer modems.
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/05/charter-blocked-customer-owned-modems-for-two-years-must-pay-fine/

Man-of-Leisure

px_eliezer_ The box on the right says “or use your own equipment”….

Yes, but the option to bring your own modem disappears from the check out page in high-split areas, forcing you to use theirs.

Here’s how it normally looks:

Notice above in the high-split area, the option for “Use my own equipment” disappears.

px_eliezer_

Man-of-Leisure Notice above in the high-split area, the option for “Use my own equipment” disappears.

Sneaky of them, thank you for clarifying that.

CommunityMember

Man-of-Leisure Yes, but the option to bring your own modem disappears from the check out page in high-split areas, forcing you to use theirs.

There are no current COAMs validated for high-split. It is unclear if any manufacturer has started the entire validation process (which costs them money, which may be more than they will ever re-coup[0]), but none have publicly stated they intend to, or have, started that process with Kyrio (who is the 3rd party who does the validation(s) for Charter (and for that matter Comcast)).

[0] Right now there is also only a limited number of locations that support high-split, so it is possible that some manufacturer can see a positive ROI and do that validation some time in the future, but as Charter provides a modem for “free”[1], it is not clear there will be many takers for paying $300 just to own their own modem.

[1] Where “free” means the price for the service includes the modem. Customers are paying for that device.

MacLeech

Man-of-Leisure In high-split areas, new customers are only offered the new (mostly) symmetrical tiers that use high split. As the notes say in your screenshot, only non-symmetrical tiers can use customer provided modems.

Man-of-Leisure

MacLeech Right, but what if I want to bring my 3.0 or 3.1 modem and use it on the current low-split tiers?

It would work just fine.

Comcast allows that in their 4.0 areas.

The FCC requires them to allow customer owned modems.

Man-of-Leisure

CommunityMember Any 3.0 or 3.1 modem would continue to work just fine in high-split areas, they’d just stay on the current low-split upload speeds.

MacLeech

Man-of-Leisure Right, but what if I want to bring my 3.0 or 3.1 modem and use it on the current low-split tiers?

Yes on current low-split tiers for existing customers that is fine, but that is not what is being sold to new customers through the website. Details matter. Here’s the screenshot you left out of your new customer order process.

Good luck getting a low split tier in a high split area as a new customer. The standard offering low split tiers are grandfathered in high split areas. At the very least, it would take a call to customer service and chances are you will pay the same as the symmetrical tiers, maybe more if they’re not on promo. Very few pick that option, since Spectrum provides free modems for new residential customers.

Man-of-Leisure

MacLeech Comcast supports it.

When you select any of the symmetrical tiers on Comcast in a 4.0 area, you still have the option to bring your own modem, you just get the slower upload speeds. Download speed is the same.

Same thing is possible on Charter.

Either way, I reported it to the FCC, since it’s clearly a violation.

If Comcast can do it, so can Charter.

The FCC doesn’t differentiate between new customers and existing customers. If new customers can’t bring their own modem, that’s a violation.

They were already investigated and fined for this before.

MacLeech

Man-of-Leisure Again, they can bring their own modem. They just have to call in, as it’s not an option on the website for new customers being offered symmetrical tiers. Spectrum is trying to make it difficult for new customers to handicap their own connections.

The FCC complaint will be relayed to Spectrum, who will reply with “contact support”.

Man-of-Leisure

MacLeech Again, they can bring their own modem. They just have to call in

Where does Charter say that?

How do you know?

Proof?

Preventing it on the website itself likely violates the FCC rule anyway.

CommunityMember The comment was about COAM high-split modems (which no manufacturer has validated). Please, just once, try to actually keep up

That’s not what I was talking about.

Maybe it’s what you were, but it’s not what my original comment was about.

Motorola870

I have heard to the contrary. They will not allow BYO modem activations in High-Split areas. You have to use their modem the system won’t even allow the reps to add them anymore once a market goes high-split. If you have an existing BYO modem they send you an email with an offer for free wifi for a year to switch but they aren’t making existing BYO modems to be replaced but strongly word it if you want faster speeds to upgrade. Existing customers are getting the speed bumps on the upload.

I suspect they are violating the FCC rules but they made the system to where it won’t allow new BYO modems. They likely are going to tell the FCC because they don’t make you rent the modem and that is included in the price of the package.

I have to wonder how they are handling the 2gig tier expanded OFDM capacity with BYO modems that haven’t been replaced yet. Are they activating a second 96MHz carrier and excluding it from customer owned modems or are the widening the existing 96MHz channel to 192MHz and allowing the grandfathered tiers to use the full capacity for load balancing.

CommunityMember

Man-of-Leisure The FCC doesn’t differentiate between new customers and existing customers.

Actually, they do. The FCC does not require an operator to offer legacy plans to new customers. It is why people with new TV plans can’t use CableCARDs for both Charter and Comcast (and in some locations with Verizon, although the details are a bit more complex with FiOS because, like Charter and Comcast, they are in a technology transition phase). Same with mobile plans (you can’t get various legacy plans with Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile). For various reasons an operator may use the same consumer names for the new plans as their legacy plans, but they are not always the same in the codes, or features, or capabilities. I don’t know for sure if Charter still offers legacy plans in their new high-split locations today (they are still wrapping up their phase 1 locations), but they can certainly choose not to at any time, and if they do not offer legacy HSI tiers, and as there are no COAMs validated for high-split (and there are not, today), a new customer must use a Charter modem should they want HSI service from Charter. And that is all completely within the regulations.

CommunityMember

Man-of-Leisure Preventing it on the website itself likely violates the FCC rule anyway.

No government agency requires a company to market and/or sell everything to everyone on their website (or in person). Various agencies may require companies to remove incorrect or misleading claims, but, with a couple of exceptions (warning you that smoking may be hazardous to your health for example) they do not force speech.

catch22

Isn’t this issue similar to AT&T Uverse Gateways (2Wire) where a customer has to use the their provided product.? They’ve been getting away with that for almost 20 years.

MacLeech

Man-of-Leisure Where does Charter say that?

How do you know?

https://www.spectrum.net/support/internet/compliant-modems-charter-network

It’s been Charter’s SOP for the 25+ years I’ve been a customer. For non-standard orders, whether it was CableCards, TAs, other ISPs, certain tiers of services, etc. Not everything they offer can be ordered through their website, you have to call in. They offer low income internet tiers right now, but you can’t order them without calling in. The website order is for the 99%+ of orders they get that have nothing special.

They’ll do it because they have to, but they’ll make it a major pain in the ass to get done.

Why would want to use your own modem that doesn’t support higher upload speeds when Charter provides one for free and you get full upload speeds? Just can’t bear to part with that SB6190 you’ve been holding on to?

MacLeech

catch22 Isn’t this issue similar to AT&T Uverse Gateways (2Wire) where a customer has to use the their provided product.? They’ve been getting away with that for almost 20 years.

Cable providers are required to let customers bring their own equipment due to past FCC rulings about cable boxes and modems, not that it will get all channels or services. Telco is required for analog phone equipment, but nothing else. ATT does not have to allow other gateways.

nucleartx

https://www.spectrum.com/policies/spectrum-broadband-disclosure

Also, this is the new internet rate card page.

toolman1990

px_eliezer_

px_eliezer_ The box on the right says “or use your own equipment”….

However the company also says:
Spectrum Internet customers are offered a compliant modem that has passed our full certification testing for optimal performance at no additional charge.

You may use a modem you already own that is authorized to work on the Spectrum network. However, only Spectrum-provided equipment is supported by our technicians. Additionally:

Spectrum Home Phone service is not compatible with customer-owned modems.

Customer-owned modems are only authorized for non-symmetrical speed tiers. In select markets, we offer symmetrical speed tiers (equal upload and download speeds). Those customers must use a Spectrum-provided modem.

https://www.spectrum.net/support/internet/compliant-modems-charter-network

I don’t know about the current FCC regs (and what the FCC does or does not care about these days).

The FCC did punish Charter several years ago for denying customer modems.
![](https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/cropped-ars-logo-512_480-60×60.png) Charter blocked customer-owned modems for two years, must pay fine

It looks like Charter Communications is up to their old behavior again that got them in trouble with the FCC in the past. I doubt anything will happen under the Trump administration’s FCC but I can see a future democrat administration going after Charter Communications for this kind of behavior.