Additional Information for Charter Spectrum

On April 1, 2009, the BBB contacted Time Warner Cable requesting that it modify its claim of being "Home of Free HD."

According to the BBB Code of Advertising, "If receipt of the 'free' merchandise or service is conditional on a purchase, the advertiser must disclose this condition clearly and conspicuously together with the "free" offer (not by placing an asterisk or symbol next to "free" and referring to the condition(s) in a footnote),... and the "free" offer must be temporary; otherwise, it would become a continuous combination offer, no part of which is free."

Time Warner Cable argued that the claim, which has been used continuously for over a year, is only meant to be a comparative claim to explain to consumers that they will not be charged an additional fee for some HD services, unlike some of its competitors.

However, the BBB explained that the term "free" should only be used to describe a temporary offer to provide products or services, at no cost, which are typically paid for by consumers.

Although Time Warner Cable had discussed the matter with the BBB on several occasions, Time Warner Cable's BBB accreditation was revoked on September 14, 2009 for failure to adhere to the BBB Code of Advertising.