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Broadband Providers' Hidden Bandwidth Limits

Posted by kdawson on from the play-nicely-and-share dept.

An anonymous reader sends us to the Boston Globe for a story that will come as a surprise to few here: broadband suppliers will cut you off if you download too many bits. It tells the stories of several Comcast users who were warned — without specifics — that they were using "too much" bandwidth, then had their accounts summarily cancelled. Looking into the future: "...even if only a tiny fraction of customers are downloading enough to trigger the policy, that will probably change as more entertainment moves to the Internet."

8 of 443 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Thi is new how? by QCompson · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm surprised that people don't expect this to happen when they use too much bandwidth.

    Yes, it's strange. It's as if they were told they had unlimited internet access.
  2. The solution... by Nutty_Irishman · · Score: 3, Funny

    Download midget porn, it takes half the time (and bandwidth)!

    Ya, I've been saving that line for a long time....

  3. it has to be said by indy_Muad'Dib · · Score: 5, Funny

    you've been cox-blocked

  4. Re:"Those Cox-uckers!" by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 5, Funny

    Please mod this "-1, paragraphs are your friend"

    --
    Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
  5. Re:Uh huh. Yeah right. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    We had them for 2 years and kept 60% up and down utilized on average

    Can I leech your porn collection? Please?

  6. Re:Instead of focusing on speed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    You put a lot of thought into those five paragraphs of bitching, given that they were intended for an audience of narrow-minded thick wits, eager to bitch and complain.

  7. Re:No cap for iTunes I'll bet by Perseid · · Score: 4, Funny

    You would have to be one rich SOB to legally utilize as much bandwidth as I do.

    I mean...I don't do that sort of thing. Why are you looking at me like that?

  8. exponentially? by onemorechip · · Score: 2, Funny
    From the article: "Comcast has a responsibility to provide these customers with a superior experience and to address any excessive usage issues that may impact that experience," Comcast spokeswoman Shawn Feddeman said in a statement. "The few customers who are notified of excessive use typically consume exponentially more bandwidth than the average user."

    You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

    --
    But, I wanted socialized health insurance!