If you’re like me, having a slow Internet connection is maddening. Should it really take that long to load a site like ESPN? That’s why I went with a service that offers 20Mbps down; I thought that was fast.

Charter has come out with its new service called Ultra60. As the name suggests, they are offering 60Mbps down. Upload is only 5Mbps. Sounds like an awesome connection — except when you hear the price. Ultra60 costs $139.99 per month.

I just got a notice from my cable provider, Charter Communications, that they may start to “deliver or facilitate delivery of advertisements about goods and services that may be of interest” to me. Apparently, they’re not too concerned about their customers’ rights, and are doing this as an opt-out service. It’s one thing to spy for national security reasons, it’s another thing to spy on innocent people just to deliver ads.

From their website:

That sound you hear may be the death knell for the set-top box/dust magnet in your home entertainment center. Sony and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association have announced an agreement that will place the cable companies’ technologies inside future Sony TV models. This will allow consumers to dial up ALL their cable channels, access video-on-demand and use interactive services without having to find a place for a steaming-hot cable box near the TV.

The nation’s largest cable companies – Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, Charter, Cablevision and Bright House – are on board, and the pressure is now on Samsung, LG and other big-screen makers to follow Sony’s lead. The NCTA says they’re welcome to do so.