Comcast Looking To Impose Data Limits

Comcast Corp. says it plans to start limiting how much data its customers, which will soon include millions from Time Warner Cable, can use.

According to Computer World, Comcast executive VP David Cohen revealed the cable and Internet service provider would start capping data usage within the next five years. During a media summit with investors in New York on Wednesday, he called it "usage-based billing":

"That is the way you can deliver the equity proposition that heavier users pay more," Cohen said. "It really has nothing to do with [buying TWC]. It's a generic industry-related issue. [It's not] an open Internet issue... We think what we are doing is totally appropriate."

The Verge reports Comcast is testing monthly caps of 300GB (gigabytes) and 600GB in some markets, as well as a "flexible-data" option limited to 5GB. Subscribers who go over those amounts would pay extra fees, similar to the penalty for using too many minutes or text messages on a cell phone plan.

According to Digital Trends, Comcast currently uses 300GB monthly data caps in seven states: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Tennessee and South Carolina. Users who go over pay $10 for an additional 50GB.

Tech Crunch reports Comcast is "still working out exactly where they can cap things before" customers start complaining and switching providers.

Cohen predicted the majority -- more than 98 percent -- of Comcast's customers wouldn't be affected by data consumption thresholds. However, he did admit it's difficult to predict technology usage, given how much it's changed in the last five years (Netflix, iPads, etc).

And with the company expected to finalize its $45 billion takeover of Time Warner Cable later this year, things could be really different in 2019. For example, another mega-merger is in the works: AT&T is reportedly in talks to buy DirecTV for as much as $50 billion.

But how much is 300GB of data? How much does the average cable television subscriber use versus a cord-cutter?

According to Digital Trends, the average person with Internet-only service uses 212GB of data each month -- more than seven times those who watch traditional television. The bulk of that difference comes from streaming movies and TV shows through services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Instant Video.

Comcast's Xfinity site has a data calculator that allows users to predict how much data they'd use. A family with five Internet-connected devices (computers, tablets, smartphones, etc.) that streams 16 two-hour HD movies and 20 hour-long TV shows; visits 100 websites; and listens to 40 hours of streaming music uses 310GB per month.

In related news, the FCC voted 3-2 on Thursday to propose new "net neutrality" rules, allowing ISPs to charge content companies (like Netflix) for faster and more reliable delivery.

It's the United States Government that's in the pockets of the corporations, complaining about them will get you nowhere.

You need to loosen that tin-foil hat a bit.

You need to loosen that tin-foil hat a bit.

So the FCC chairman being a former telecommunication lobyist doesn't scream "problematic" to you?

So the FCC chairman being a former telecommunication lobyist doesn't scream "problematic" to you?

About as much as the CEO of the programming company that built the first healthcare.gov website being the longtime friend of Michelle Obama.

Or how the CEO of Solyndra being a large campaign contributor to both of Obama's campaigns.

But neither of these bothers you, then your statement doesn't bother me.

About as much as the CEO of the programming company that built the first healthcare.gov website being the longtime friend of Michelle Obama. Or how the CEO of Solyndra being a large campaign contributor to both of Obama's campaigns. But neither of these bothers you, then your statement doesn't bother me.

Satellite Internet providers have been doing this for years. This really isn't nothing new.

They're going the route of the Cellular service providers. Going to institute caps and charge more for usage. Soon they'll be rolling out plans specific to streaming separate from simple browsing and internet use. Have you ever asked your Cellular service provider why smart phones require individual text and data plans. When text is data and less intensive compared to "data"? They bank on the consumer not being smart enough to know.

Solyndra

none of this is news, not sure why people all of a sudden noticed this. they have been talking about the 300GB cap since at least november 2013 that i remember. i see there is talk about it long ago. i guess the media started to run with this cause of all the net neutrality stuff comcast already had a 250GB limit they just were not enforcing it. http://corporate.comcast.com/comcast-voices/comcast-to-replace-usage-cap-with-improved-data-usage-management-approaches

More fun still, ask them why they ever charged for texts at all.

SMS texting is piggybacked on data transfers they already had to make. That's why the character limit was always there. They literally took something they already had to do for the service you were already paying them to provide and managed to get even more money for little extra work and nearly zero extra resource expenditure.

The Onion is not a reliable source Jet.

Just letting you know there.

Something that directly affects you, potentially takes money out of your wallet while simultaneously offering you fewer options and more restrictions, and you're defending it?

I don't know what's worse, this buzzword or Benghazi, or the IRS thing.

None of which are actual scandals, but you know how certain people love to make ***up.

Neither is Fox, but you know, you keep sucking on their ***.