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Web users, the meter is running. In a strategy that’s likely to rankle consumers but be copied by competitors, Time Warner Cable (TWC) is pressing ahead with a plan to charge Internet customers based on how much Web data they consume. Starting next month, the company will introduce tiered pricing in several markets.

I’m not sure this is going to go over well in Austin, TX. In fact, I can imagine all kinds of nefarious consequences. Do you really want to waste 40mb updating Windows every week? Do you get billed for visiting Time Warner’s website? What if a neighbor steals your bandwidth? What if a virus steals your bandwidth? In fact, why should we believe TWC usage statistics at all? Are they a regulated utility now? Some guy working at TWC could up everyone’s bill by 5% using a single database update.

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