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Comcast Rolls Out Nationwide 1TB Data Cap (theverge.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Verge: Comcast's home internet data caps are going live for a majority of customers starting November 1st, the company announced today. Called the "Xfinity Terabyte Internet Data Usage Plan," the cap restricts the amount of data you consume in your home to 1TB per month regardless of the speed of your plan. Comcast claims 99 percent of customers use less than 1TB per month, but it does now offer an unlimited option for $50 more per month. Back in April, Comcast bumped its data cap from 300GB to 1TB after consumer backlash and renewed regulatory concern from the FCC. And until today, the plan has been active in select markets for 16 states. But starting November 1st, the list will add 18 new markets, bringing the total number of states with the terabyte data cap to around 30. Notable exceptions include New York and nearly the entire northeast. For a full list of included markets, check Comcast's online FAQ.
The chocolate ration has gone up to 20 grams a week!
...movies per month. That's assuming that each 4K movie is compressed to around 100GB each on average. So on top of paying for your movies, you'll also have to pay a $50 per month surcharge.
None. The purpose of caps from cable companies isn't to cover the costs of infrastructure improvements. It is to serve as a disincentive to dropping cable TV service, just as it always was.
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Unfortunately it is true, Comcast is the only ISP in my area with speed over 25Mbps i get 75Mbps + basic cable for around $90 a month US through comcast.
Now i have to worry about Data caps???
At my fucking house???
THAT WAS THE WHOLE POINT OF PAYING FOR THE FUCKING CABLE!
I have 5 people in the house who all use Youtube/Netflix/Hulu/Steam/Origin/Xbox/Playstation/Wii/+ 5 cell phones and 5 desktops 1 laptop 1 tablet 2 smart TV's ect...
Plus i contribute to a open source project that requires me to regularly perform large git-pull's.
And my flight simulator that downloads world scenery on the fly.
So WTF! Comcast.
We already know for a fact that there is no point beyond Greed and $ for you to implement Data caps on your network.
Fuck you Comcast.
Sincerely, a pissed off customer.
Exactly. That's how capitalism works.
Congestion is not related to data caps. Data caps are a way of charging for the amount of data someone uses over a long period of time. Congestion is related to bandwidth.
It's like justifying charging a toll on the only single lane road from place a to place b because there are daily traffic jams. It doesn't matter whether or not you charge a toll, the traffic jams cannot be 'fixed' by a toll booth if you need more lanes. If you hike the price high enough, someone will eventually come along and build the necessary two lane road, but until then, your toll booth just pisses people off even more.
With the Internet it's the same, except that a two lane highway costs almost no money (Netflix and Internet Exchanges have even offered extra lanes at no cost) and Comcast-and-co is conspiring from anyone else building a second lane.
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I am now blocking ALL ads.
Your adverts now cost me money.
I am also going back to ripping BluRays and storing them on a NAS. Screw Netflix and other services if I am now being punished for using it by the ISP.
Comcast is forcing me to do all this, so if Anyone is angry, please call 1-800-COMCAST and complain.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Even now, after adding most of the USA to this data cap -- they've avoided the entire Washington DC metro area (Northern Virginia and Maryland included). I'm very thankful for that as a MD resident stuck using Comcast for broadband .... but am I the only one who suspects this is on purpose? Comcast probably figures they won't get push-back from angry legislators as long as they make sure all of THOSE folks aren't affected by the changes.
I find that extremely interesting, because it means that they must have some way of measuring data traffic other than just counting the bytes in/out of your connection. They must separate your data and visitor data somehow.
I've read a number of stories about inaccurate data metering on broadband lately. I wonder how reliable their system is.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
One thing Comcast's plan doesn't cover is that based on current internet usage and popular applications (Netflix, Pandora, etc.) their research suggests 1TB is a reasonable cap for 99% of customers. But what happens when more rich applications come out, video resolution goes up and don't forget that new fangled Internet of Things (IoT). Are they going to adjust the caps based on what "reasonable" is on an ongoing basis? I bet not. That in and of itself is not reasonable. Comcast's PR firm has gone to great lengths to present this in agreeable terms on the basis of reasonableness and they did somewhat of a good job but it still looks like there is an opportunity for an unethical cash grab it's just it will be in the future not in the present.
Fortunately, we have a system that deals with this called free market competition. On that note, Google Fiber/Verizon FioS where you at? I'm ready to switch if you want to become a competitive force in this market space. Get your game on.
We'll make great pets
and changes to the terms, in most states, also gives you a way out of the contract, too.