Time Warner Cable has given its stamp of approval on two Zoom Telephonics cable modems for use in its cable modem purchase program.
The two DOCSIS 3.0-based Zoom modems, model 5350 and model 5341J, were tested and certified by Time Warner Cable to be used across all five of its data tiers: Extreme, Ultimate, Lite, Basic and Standard.
After a trial run, Time Warner Cable, the nation’s second-largest cable operator, announced in October that it was going to charge data customers a cable modem lease fee of $3.95 a month. In order to avoid the monthly cable modem fee, Time Warner Cable gave its subscribers the option to buy their own modems from a pre-approved list, which also includes modems from Motorola and Netgear.
Zoom’s 5350 cable modem features an integrated 300 Mbps Wireless N router, firewall security and a four-port Gigabit Ethernet switch. The 5341J modem has an estimated retail value of $89, and the model 5350 modem/router has an estimated retail value of $129. Zoom’s cable modems are available at Best Buy, Micro Center, Office Depot, Staples and other retailers.
While other cable operators have long charged lease fees for cable modems, set-top boxes and DVRs, Time Warner Cable was the target of consumer and media criticism for the fee and how it was instituted. Last month, Time Warner Cable was hit with two class-action lawsuits in regard to its decision for the new cable modem fee policy.
