Have You Fought Your ISP Over Bandwidth Limits?

serutan asks: "Recently, a DC++-related mailing list I subscribe to has been buzzing with posts about letters from various ISPs in the U.S., UK, Australia and NZ, warning customers to curtail their download bandwidth usage to an 'acceptable' limit (generally 200 hours/month for three straight months). These are people who thought they signed up for unlimited access. Some of the letters hint that high bandwidth usage may imply illicit activity. All are vague on possible consequences, and nobody has mentioned actually being cut off by an ISP. One guy received an apology after talking to a supervisor about the meaning of the word 'unlimited.' Is this a growing trend? Have you received similar threats from an ISP? What was the outcome?" Of course, would it be so difficult for ISPs to stop advertising "unlimited" access, and instead include in the small (or not-so small) print exactly what the "acceptable" bandwidth usage is? If you did sign up for "unlimited" services and find yourself in this predicament, what have you done to get your bandwidth issues resolved?

Comments

Where is all this badnwidth going?

[sirket]

I don't want to start a war here but I would love to know how people are running into bandwidth limitations _without_ doing file sharing?

I've had 768 SDSL for three years, and before that I had ISDN. I host a number of sites, download .iso's and documentation, handle email for a number of people and do a variety of other things with my connection.

Despite this, I have never come close to maxing out my line for anything more than a few minutes. Traffic usage for me, according to MRTG, amounts to an average of about 100kb/sec during daytime hours and less at night.

What I am curious aout is what are these people doing that is getting them noticed by their ISP's?

Having said all this, if a company is going to offer unlimited service, they sure as hell better be prepared to deliver it.

-sirket

Re:Comcast

[Syberghost]

Whine, whine, bitch, bitch, cry, cry.

Get a T1 and try being an ISP yourself. You'll understand why they can't make any money if everybody is pulling a full T1 worth of bandwidth for a fraction of a T1 price very quickly.

Oh, and yes, I have.

Read the fine print

[loknor]

You ever hear of buyer beware? You didn't read the AUP did you?

http://www.comcast.net/terms/use.jsp

Prohibited Uses and Activities

(viii) restrict, inhibit, interfere with, or otherwise disrupt or cause a performance degradation, regardless of intent, purpose or knowledge, to the Service or any Comcast (or Comcast supplier) host, server, backbone network, node or service, or otherwise cause a performance degradation to any Comcast (or Comcast supplier) facilities used to deliver the Service;