Condos by Time Warner, Broadband By...RCN??

Joseph Laszlo | February 11, 2004, 11:19 AM

Time Warner (formerly AOL-Time Warner) has opened their scintillating new building on Columbus Circle here in New York City to great fanfare; the upscale mall in the lobby has been much commented on, and Donald Trump had a friendly message to new residents on his building across the way.

But the funniest thing I've heard about the building is the news that the broadband and cable TV services for the condos and hotel will be provided not by AOL or Time Warner, but by RCN. What? RCN? This is like Coke's HQ being outfitted with RC Cola vending machines...Unlikely, and very very funny. Apparently RCN underbid the folks with their name on the building.

The Journal (subscription required) has the scoop; quoting from their piece:

As would be expected, Time Warner will provide its own cable service to its employees in the complex. But one of the building's developers, Related Cos., picked RCN Corp., a much smaller cable company, to serve the condos and the 251-room Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

Time Warner bid on the contract, but RCN won. "We wouldn't pursue an arrangement that didn't make good business sense for us," said Harriet Novet, a spokeswoman for Time Warner Cable's operations in New York City.

I'm also an RCN broadband customer here in NY, and very happy; I'm sure the condo residents will be pleased with their service. All the more so if they appreciate irony.