Comcast Releasing Promised Usage Meter → Question...

Is it really a "cap"? (the 250 GB usage thingy) or is it just a threshold which if you exceed you get "managed" (with lower priority/restricted bandwidth for your packets) [only] when there's congestion on your node/segment?

The throttling and management system is entirely independent of the cap. The throttling system kicks in if you're on a congested node and are one of the biggest reasons for that congestion.

Correct - what Karl said.

So what happens if you go over? Do you get a letter or a phone call?

»customer.comcast.com/Pag ··· xcessive

What will happen if I exceed 250 GB of data usage in a month?
The vast majority - more than 99% - of our customers will not be impacted by a 250 GB monthly bandwidth or data usage threshold. If you exceed more than 250 GB and is one of the heaviest data users who consume the most data on our high-speed Internet service, you may receive a call from the Customer Security Assurance ("CSA") team to notify you of excessive use. At that time, we will tell you exactly how much data per month you had used. When we call you, we try to help you identify the source of excessive use and ask you to moderate your usage, which the vast majority of our customers do voluntarily. If you are contacted by the CSA team again for excessive use within six months of the first contact your service will be subject to termination for one year. We know from experience that most customers curb their usage after our first call. If your account is terminated, after the one year period expires you may resume service by subscribing to a service plan appropriate to you needs.

Our practice for the past several years has been to call only our heaviest data users, and this practice remains the same now that the 250GB data usage threshold is in effect. We may change our practice but will, of course, provide notice to you of any change.

It's hard to believe it's for a year...

You'd think that Comcast would rather have your business for a year than dump you entirely. 6 months even....

Yeah, I would expect them to give you the choice between disconnection and upgrading to a business tier at the least.

I'll bet you, in any fios area they will not enforce this cap at all. These 'cap police' policies are only going to be in-effect in non-competition areas.

Or in areas the first-mile provider is trying to discourage IPTV and video on demand provided by third parties.

/tom

the 250GB is more of a SOFT cap

meaning that if your below it they won't kick you and if you go over they just aren't barred from kicking you

not that bam your out

That is crazy. We need regulation to prevent people from being banned for simply using their internet connection. Not everyone has a choice between ISPs and a ban could mean no internet.

Tough!

So you like being ripped off by a company and then possibly being banned from the internet for 1 year??

I knew the rules and agreed to them. So I am not getting ripped off. And I am at less than 10% of the cap, so I am not going to be banned for going over it.

Most customers did not agree to this.
These changes happened after they already had unlimited internet through comcast.

Well I hope you never use a device or online service that uses a lot of bandwidth. Any video/tv service or device would easily put you over the cap.

Now that you've informed us all of how much these services use, we'll all be safe.

Thanks!

Considering the corporation requires protection from the government so that no one goes and digs up and sabotages their cable lines, I don`t think saying `tough` is very logical.

It isn't simply using the connection, it is using the connection in excess of the cap and doing it on a consistent basis. The cap is clearly spelled out in the ISPs TOS, you go over limit you get a warning, do it a second time and you risk losing the connection. This is fair even if you do not think it is. At least it is a 250gig cap not 50, or worse, like other providers.

How is this fair??

The network is made up of fixed costs. The network costs the same if you use 0% or 100%. It makes no sense to have caps or to limit the internet.

They are only doing this to prevent video and tv competition online. Caps and limits just harm the internet.

Your first statement is not really accurate. Granted infrastructure cost is the same whether used or not but it needs to be designed and sized for peak use. Bandwidth cap have only a tangential effect on peak usage - because they discourage customer use of the Internet.

I agree with your second point they are primarily designed to protect incumbent business from competition.

/tom

OK, thanks... sounds like there are two kinds of "heavy usage": one related to the monthly 250 GB threshold/cap and one related to throttling due to congestion (and heavy usage) for a much shorter interval/window than a month (more real-time than historical).