Gizmodo
Other than Time Warner's single-city foray into monthly data caps, consumption-based billing has mostly been little ISPs with little monopolies, and given the market, we thought it'd stay that way. Broadband Reports is, uh, reporting that now Comcast is mulling monthly caps (which Comcast's PR guy confirms, though not the details)—something like 250GB, and then $1.50 for every GB over that. According to their source, the idea has "a lot of momentum" and it'll start rolling out in the next two months. The other part is that they're going to start ramping up DMCA notices to pirate assholes, with a total disconnect if you've gotten four letters in a 12-month period.
If this is entering the mix with Comcast's new "protocol agnostic" network management technique (in something closer to English, very temporarily slowing down your whole connection if you're hitting the pipe really hard at the same time as a lot of other people in your area), you're looking at an uncomfortably restricted pipe (to me anyway), even if they're not targeting torrents specifically anymore, and the overage fees honestly aren't obscene.
The scary part is that this happening actually does make sense, for a couple of reasons. One, P2P traffic isn't the biggest bandwidth hog, it's streaming video, and this'll get people to (maybe) cut down on their habit, however they're sucking down bandwidth. Second, it'll keep them (sorta) clean with the FCC, which is seriously leaning toward transparency rules that would make ISPs be up front about this sort of thing anyway. And after all, there's no better motivator to watch your ass than money slipping out of your back pocket—no schmancy traffic management necessary. [Broadband Reports]
Comments
One word: Verizon.
My ISP started doing this as well. It was recently bought out by Digis in Boise, Idaho. I called to complain about slow speeds and they offered to move me to a "new" plan offered through Digis with 7MB (5 down, 2 up, etc); We moved over to the new plan. At about 1PM the following day, I again noticed the speeds were horrendous (In the 256k range). I called Digis up again and was informed that the new plan came with some "baggage". If the at all during a 24-hour period, I used over 1GB of data transferred, they would drop the speeds by half; Another GB and they halve it again... And I were down to 256k. Now, I have a big family (Several computers, as well as Vonage and T-Mobile HotSpots@Home), and 1GB of bandwidth is easy to pass for us. Long story short, we're back on our 2MB plan. *Sigh*
250GB is a lot; I don't see this as that terrible of an idea as long as there is an online counter that allows you to track bandwidth usage. Also, one of the local telecoms here is rolling out fiber over the next two-three years to the entire county, so I won't really have to deal with Comcast that long.
It's funny.... a 250GB Monthly cap sounds like it is a generous amount... fast forward a couple more years and that will probably be the norm.
I wish I could switch. Cable is the only option where I live until something like WiMax comes to production.
Our phone equipment at the C.O. is so old that we couldn't even get caller ID before we switched to comcast.
No DSL here, nosiree. Comcast is the only game in the neighborhood.
It would be interesting to see what my family's data usage is though.
Comcast needs to quit messing around with coax and deploy Fiber to the home!
Well they still haven't address what happens to people who have both on demand capable boxes and their internet at the same time...
because the bandwidth is used up in the same pipeline...
is you ask me, comcast is about to drop an axe on their foot and its really going to hurt.
well, fuck that shit. it's like buying dinner and being penalized for eating the whole thing. what the hell kind of bullshit is that? they can't keep up with demand so they punish the user?
according to a local tiny ISP near me, the VAST majority of their load is not just streaming video, but porn. Because of this they now use porn to test everything. I think everyone needs to start doing very thorough checks of their own ISPs using this method.
Because of HD movie downloads on the horizon, that can severely limit what a download service like AppleTV or Amazon Unbox can deliver if GB of bandwidth are being measured like this. Sure 250GB sounds nice, but if that's on the upper end, then you might see 100GB stuff, heck even 50GB stuff.
This is in effect filtering of high-bandwidth content because gimping speeds to unusable levels (256K PULEZE) will drive this customer somewhere else.
HAHA, instead of going further into the future, Comcast is proving to be headed into the apposite direction.
Why people need fiber optics? we better take their cable and give them 56k connecting and even cap that!
oops I misspelled connection with connecting ;[
250 gb a month is not that bad, I live in Canada and I just got cut off for going over my Telus 60gb bandwith cap!
My family uses our internet all day long. 6 computers share our connection during an average day. I have no idea how much we all use in a month let alone 1 day. I think we pay for a 1MB but routinely get less. It works for now. I don't like the idea of caps because I have no idea how many Gigs a day we use let alone per month!
Two letters to the author: F and U.
Two words to Comcast: bigger pipe.
Well crap, I better start looking into a router that keeps monthly data totals. I used to rely on an app on my windows box, and most of the usage is from that computer, but with another computer, plus assorted game consoles and a laptop now that I think of it, I need the router to keep track of all the data.
Guess I better look into using Tomato on my linky.
@dagamer34: Oh so close -- why would a cable company want to hamstring digital movie downloads...?
@danman81: Verizon
250GB is fine with me... I wish Verizon was in my area tho. DAMN YOU ATT
@Charles: 250gb cap sounds like total gig's. That means upload and downloads. For everyone here who doesn't torrent it really isn't going to affect you.
I have fios available in my area and haven't gotten it yet out of laziness and the hassle of having new wires run to my house.
This is however a great motivator for me to get fios throughout my house.
I just got a 16 megabit line from Comcast.
250gb/month is nothing, I went through twice that with a 6mb line. :x
@Roflcopter_Down: Wants you to follow HIM!: What could you have possibly been doing on a 6 megabit/s line that totaled 500gb+ per month?
I'm honestly curious.
BT used to throttle my connection to such an extent GOOGLE would'nt load all over a "few" downloads (A)
I have enough money going to Comcast coming out of my pocket MONTHLY, build a better freaking mousetrap you guys, that is what I am paying for, give me better internet, not internet that is restricted. I am the customer and the second I see a bill for .01$ over our agreed contract, which is already a rip off, I change providers. SO, what we as a community have to spread is for them to respect the customer, give us our cake AND let us eat it, and accept no compromises!!!
Yup...never been with comcast, never will, and now have another reason not to.
It's FIOS all the way...and comcast is gonna see the light as their customers leave for verizon.
asshole pirates? you're the fucking asshole- fuck you!!!!!!!!!!!
HERE'S A COMPROMISE:
If they are going to charge for "overages," then we should get an equivalent rebate for under-usage.
So, if we agree that my plan covers 250 GB a month, and that going over that costs $1.50/GB...then staying under that should rebate me $1.50/GB. Heck, I'll even go halfsies and take $0.75 for my under-usage gigabytes.
That is a system I think I could work with :). It is truly fair: if I free up a gigabyte of data-traffic by not downloading it on their network, then they gain the space to charge an "over-user" for the extra gigabyte he downloads. I feel my effort to reduce my network traffic should be worth at least half of the per-gigabyte overage fee.
The author of this is a fucking douche.
I've never understood why people welcome bandwidth caps? Why do people like being assraped by large corporations? Beats me.
Do you think your service will get cheaper?
It won't.
Do you think your service will get better?
It won't.
Do you think you'll somehow please your corporate masters by being a good little peon?
You won't.
Fuck the author and anyone who supports bandwidth caps.
I don't even pirate, but I do use lots of bandwidth, so have fun being butt-slammed by Comcast, you corporate teat-sucking sycophnantic microcephalics.
Will they have "rollover Gigs"? :)
I was reading to day the International Broadband rankings and the U.S. is very slow to embrace broadband and these guys know they can charge "early adopters as much as they want, there is no other choice". I live in mexico and I can get 3Mb cable line for $40. But I live in a big city, the rest of the country has to live on 1Mb for $20 plus connection fees since it's ADSL. Now you understand why Carlos Slim is the richest guy according to Forbes... And don't even ask what 3G is priced here, a nice data plan is around $150...
[www.itif.org]
That's the ranking list.
And bandwith cap may be ok for single people, but families with many computers will reach that limit in no time. specially if they like using youtube and internet radio...
Wow, it just goes to show how far back New Zealand is... our caps, depending on price, usually range from 1gb to 10gb. You can get more, but it's so expensive. That includes uploading too.
For me, I pay $1 (about US$ 0.70) per GB plus about US$ 30 monthly fee.
@VakeroRokero: VOIP users would be screwed too...
Again, it's all about lack of competition. Comcast and other companies like them know this kind of thing infuriates and alienates customers. But they plan carefully and will only deploy these policies in markets that don't have FTTH.
For instance, the Seattle area has Gimped Qwest 3Mbps DSL...And Comcast.
Sacramento has ATT 4Mbps DSL (requiring a cell-phone like contract)...and Comcast. Comcast has made billions being the lesser of x evils.
Rural ISPs and those in other countries will continue to rape their customers until legislation is passed.
What really pisses me off is that Comcast hogs all that bandwidth for their TV. Comcast has no interest in you watching iTunes movies. Why don't you just use your pay-per-view like a good little Cable customer? It makes sense when you look at it this way. Comcast knows what's clogging its pipes and I can definitely see a lawsuit coming out of this when the customers wake up.
For now, Comcast is okay and adequate for our needs. But Seattle is YEARS away from Fiber and Comcast is the only way to to get a pipe above 3 megs. I pray they don't become stupid before Fiber saves us all.
Market forces will take care of this. Someone will come along to offer competitive services and take away Comcast's customers if this happens. I have Time Warner's Roadrunner cable broadband service and EarthLink DSL and I would hope this kind of thing never comes to either.
Damn I wish Verison FIOS was in my area, I'd leave Concast behind in the blink of an eye! As of now I'm right on the edge of 250GB/month and thats WITHOUT getting HD movies!
I agree with quoderat, anyone that supports bandwidth caps is a douche that does not not understand the concept of progress.
I upload and download a lot of stuff and share my connection with another high bandwidth user, plus videogames I can see myself hitting that cap
A lot of people will hit that cap. They're claiming it is only the "top 1%". Right. Then when they're gone, there will be a NEW "top 1%" and so on.
Today it is a 250gig limit and $1.50/gb. Next year, suddenly the 250gig plan is $89.99/month, and the "affordable" 100gig plan is $49.99.
This is obviously meant to slim down watching video online. I love how even the "media" has fallen into using Comcast's spin that anyone who uses lots bandwidth is an "abuser".
@danman81:
Thats 3 words. You will be the first one to be served. 1GB = 3GB. Dope.
Haha, a 250Gb cap is a dream where I am! We're capped at 2Gb/month with (approx.) $10/Gb if you go over. This is in South Africa where the local telecoms company has a complete monopoly on telephone/ADSL lines (and in fact the 'pipe' going into/out of the country)...
No one here seems to have taken into account that more and more media companies are using the internet to sell their product. Hello... iTunes? What about a direct download for a videogame? Heck what about just playing a game online that involves a lot of data transfer. A lot of the TV and movie companies are also posting their shows online. Personally, I watch most of my TV shows online now. I am using the net for perfectly legitimate means and now I'm going to have to pay more than the $70 bucks Comcast already sucks from me every month? Erm. No. Would be nice if FIOS came around to my location I'd switch in a heartbeat.
@EQC: then If you use under 75% its FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!
L ikz it
It's the same thing as blocking VOIP traffic so you have use their phone service. I use Vonnage so I don't have to pay twice as much for the same thing on comcast, and I use Amazon unbox so I don't have to pay $60 a month for cable. This sounds a lot like a monopoly abuse to me.
The FTC will hopefully see this as a monopolistic measure by Comcast. Comcast has a physical monopoly in some places - now that iTunes, Unbox, VoIP, and other services threaten their once physical monopoly they take measures to curb usage. Its a smart business move on their point but I don't think it will make it through the FTC. Or they'll lose enough customers to Verizon that they can raise the bandwidth cap for those who are left.
My comcast is so slow anyways, it would be hard work to reach that cap. My personal best is 8.80GB/day = 264GB/month if I kept it up. I want Adelphia back. I'm switching to the faster than cable AT&T dsl for the same cost, without power-crap-boost.
So when are you article images going to be available as posters? I kinda like this one. :P