Unit649
I B U, Who U B?
Premium
join:2000-01-22
Stockton, CA
 ·Comcast
| reply to TKJunkMail
Re: [Speed] Comcast to throttle individual users; all protocols
If it works correctly, the average user shouldn't see it. Unless they do a major download or something, then they may see a reduction in speed for a short period of time.
I'd be willing to accept that if I did a major download for a short time period. But me willing to accept that is because I'm not a power user or major downloader either. To those that are, anything less than what they currently use or do, unfettered, is unacceptable.
The ISP is simply going to have to set the bar, accept possibly that some people may go away that don't accept that bar, and move on. Had they done this in the first place and raised that bar as needed (when stuff like youtube came along) and keep the bar consistant with the usage of the average user, there wouldn't be any griping now.
The problem is, they let people eat all they could, then realized they couldn't handle it, so they started nailing people. They should have started with limits and fine tuned them.
Doing it backwards means they are going to tick people off. There is no avoiding it. The sooner they implement it, the sooner the crowing can begin, and end, because if they implement a fair use policy like this, and it IS fair to the AVERAGE user, in the long run they may notice a slight decline in their usercount, but thats it. Joe Schmoe user who just gets on the internet and wants it to work (and has never heard of websites like this) won't care, and thats 95% of the internet population, and 95% of the people who will continue the service.
As long as the caps are adjusted when this userbase starts using more on average, they will be fine.
The sooner they do it, the sooner people will adjust to it. And if they set a 250GB cap, I'd guesstimate that 75% won't even notice, 15% will because they are slightly over, they will become educated and realize some of the things they are doing are probably excessive (or things they don't want their kids doing, maybe) and the other 10% will quit. Fine. If every ISP does it, where are you going to go? Either to a T1 which SHOULD allow unlimited, or back to Comcast and you'll accept you can't just run it open full bore 24/7. Or, another ISP will take you on and let you do it.
Either way, Comcast customers will win. Just do it already and let those who go way over deal with the ramifications or cancel. You're not going to lose as many people as you think. Start at 250, if you're affecting more than 25% of the userbase, start incrementing it. Heck, you can implement it right now, but don't enforce it yet, see what people are using. You're the dang ISP, you should know what people are using.
But get it done. The more you talk about it the more people get peeved. We know you raise the rates every year too, but eventually we get over it. Implement it and get it done, and you'll get past this incessant whining about it. People will go elsewhere, sure, but most will simply say "ok".
Just like me. 4 computers on my network and under 100GB a month. A 250GB cap will affect me...none. I don't know if I have a major downloader on my node. If I do, and he cancels, maybe I will notice. But I'm probably above average on use too, but I still won't notice.
Just throw the dang switch already Comcast. |
