An Iowa ISP's Metered Pricing: What Will the Market Bear?

An anonymous reader writes "The East Buchanan Telephone Cooperative started charging cellular prices for home DSL internet service starting on January 1st, 2014. A 5GB plan costs $24.95 a month while a 25 GB plan will run $99.95 per month. 100 GB is the most data you can get in a package for $299.95 per month. Each additional GB is $5. They argue that the price increase is justified because their costs have increased by 900% since 2009. About half of their customers use less than 5 GB a month while their largest users use around 100 GB a month. They argue that the switch to measured internet will appropriately place the cost on their heaviest users. With the landmark Net Neutrality ruling this week will larger providers try to move to similar price models?"

Comments

Cutting the cord

[EmagGeek]

My wife and I are pretty close to just turning off Internet at home. We can only get AT&T, and we can only get legacy DSL at 1.5mbit. Usually when I'm sitting on the PC at home I'm thinking that I'd rather be doing something else anyway, like right now, in fact.

Re:no

[Anonymous Coward]

The free market already fixed this problem, if you don't like your provider, you're free to chose another. That's what makes capitalism and America great.

-- Ethanol-fueled

Re:It doesn't cost any more to serve more data

[Bengie]

If Alaska filled their pipe with fiber instead of oil, it'd be much faster.

Re:There doesn't seem to be a "market"

[SuperKendall]

I'm curious, how does it feel to be the only person on Slashdot who READ THE DAMN ARTICLE?

worst country ever.

[Xicor]

we have one of the most expensive/slowest internet connections in the first world, if not THE most expensive. it is ridiculous that our government allows this kind of bullshit. it isnt just in rural areas that this occurs... it also happens in city districts where the city has a contract with an internet provider to where it is the only one that ppl can get in an area. Our university falls under this category... we are in the middle of a city, but the only internet we can get in the area is time warner... and they use this to totally screw everyone over. we pay almost 30$ a month for 5mbit internet.... and it has a shitty connection.