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MVM
join:2001-09-01
El Dorado Hills, CA

pflog to Weyoun7

MVM

to Weyoun7

Re: What happens if I go over 250GB bandwidth use?

There is always the business class service...
pvera
join:2001-12-01
Reston, VA

pvera to hata28

Member

to hata28
This is why I placed my order for FIOS two days ago, install date is next Friday. 25/25 with FIOS here is $7 more than what Comcast charges me for 22/2 (it used to run 22/8, but I haven't tested above 1MB up for over two weeks), no cap, no usage meter worries and no speedboost.

I watch a lot of Netflix/Fancast streaming, and I have a kid that watches a lot of Netflix and Youtube. My Comcast usage meter for April 2010 already reads 17GB, which means that if I keep this usage rate I may hit 250 GB right on April 30th.

2-3 years ago Comcast could have argued the case that 250GB of usage in a normal household is simply ridiculous, but with between Netflix streaming and Fancast (a Comcast product), I can assure you that 250GB simply doesn't cut it unless Comcast stops counting traffic that hits their own web properties.
hata28
join:2008-12-16
Philadelphia, PA

hata28

Member

I called to cancel my Comcast on Tues ( my FiOS was installed on Monday). The lady said anything she can do to stop me from doing that!......it's too late I said when I called last week to see if they can extend my promotion, kept saying no promotion NOW!
now I get a deal of $120, with Ultimate HD, free 6 months on 1 HD DVR + 1 HD STB, 35/35 Internet and Unlimited long distance on Digital Voice. A saving of about $60 a month over Comcast. More HD channels!

This meter was started yesterday, when I had switched from COAX to ethernet on the ONT....



with the rate of average 30GB daily.....I'll easy hit 1 TB a month. NOW I got no worry about what I can download and cannot. I get what I want with this connection.
jjv124
join:2009-11-21
Hanover, PA

jjv124

Member

Restrictions on Use. The Service is a consumer grade service and is not designed for or intended to be used for any commercial purpose. You may not resell the Service, use it for high volume purposes, or engage in similar activities that constitute such use (commercial or non-commercial). If you subscribe to a Broadband Service, you may connect multiple computers/devices within a single home to your modem and/or router to access the Service, but only through a single Verizon-issued IP address. You also may not exceed the bandwidth usage limitations that Verizon may establish from time to time for the Service, or use the Service to host any type of server. Violation of this section may result in bandwidth restrictions on your Service or suspension or termination of your Service.

Just so you know, that's under verizon's terms of service. So while there may not be a specific cap number for it, there obviously is something in place to limit a user if they deem them to be too heavy a user.
hata28
join:2008-12-16
Philadelphia, PA

hata28

Member

At least so far never heard of Verizon call any user about their extensive usage whereas Comcast we heard a lot!
jjv124
join:2009-11-21
Hanover, PA

jjv124

Member

And that is altogether a feasible situation. I'm just saying that obviously into their terms of service verizon has built this and would use it if they need to.

JohnInSJ
Premium Member
join:2003-09-22
Aptos, CA

1 edit

JohnInSJ to hata28

Premium Member

to hata28
said by hata28:

At least so far never heard of Verizon call any user about their extensive usage whereas Comcast we heard a lot!
YET is the word you missed. Like it or not, backhaul isn't free. Vz will eventually need to price things such that they make money, once they have penetrated the entrenched markets they chose to compete in.

I agree that 250GB is a low limit in a Docsys 3.0 world, but based on their consumer pricing *and* their infrastructure, it was a number comcast could live with when they were forced to pick a number. Don't worry, soon we'll all have metered billing, and we can rack up multiple hundreds of dollars in usage fees every month.

Should be fun.

aefstoggaflm
Open Source Fan
Premium Member
join:2002-03-04
Bethlehem, PA
Linksys E4200
ARRIS SB6141

aefstoggaflm

Premium Member

said by JohnInSJ:

YET is the word you missed. Like it or not, backhaul isn't free. Vz will eventually need to price things such that they make money, once they have penetrated the entrenched markets they chose to compete in.

#1 How do you know that?

#2 When are are they going to have have penetrated the entrenched markets they chose to compete in?

#3 Are they going to have a meter online?

#4 Is that meter online, going to verified by some third party?

Please and thanks.

JohnInSJ
Premium Member
join:2003-09-22
Aptos, CA

JohnInSJ

Premium Member

said by aefstoggaflm:

#1 How do you know that?
Because its already in the TOS you and every other sub signed. Otherwise, it would not be.
quote:
#2 When are are they going to have have penetrated the entrenched markets they chose to compete in?
Usually (standard business 101 stuff here) when they have 20-25% of the market.
quote:
#3 Are they going to have a meter online?
No idea, but if their customers are anything like comcast's then probably they will be forced to do so.
quote:
#4 Is that meter online, going to verified by some third party?
Of course not. Just like your "minutes used" on your phone bill are not verified. Nor your SMSes.
Please and thanks.
You're very welcome. Enjoy the FIOS - I would have it if it were an option here. Until they do jack it all up (it IS Verizon after all) it's a fantastic STEAL of a deal.

spike010101
Premium Member
join:2003-11-28
Austin, TX

spike010101 to gsm

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to gsm
So what does everyone think an appropriate cap would be for this day and age? I would way say at least double the cap to 500GB or maybe even 750GB.

Something funny that I found was on the FAQ website is they they have been "evaluating a monthly data usage threshold for quite some time".

Perhaps Comcast is still living back in 2005 when video streaming and all the other bandwidth intensive services were not as popular as they are now. As they are behind on a lot of other things we can just assume they are behind in their estimates. lol
DJboutit
join:2009-12-10
Columbia, MO

DJboutit

Member

I have gone over 250gb a few times only about 10gb to 15gb over & they slowed my connection down to 1k to 2k a sec ghey I had to wait a few day till the next month

beachintech
There's sand in my tool bag
Premium Member
join:2008-01-06

beachintech

Premium Member

Uh no - something else was going on for you there bud.

JohnInSJ
Premium Member
join:2003-09-22
Aptos, CA

JohnInSJ to spike010101

Premium Member

to spike010101
said by spike010101:

So what does everyone think an appropriate cap would be for this day and age?
It would make sense to have a sliding scale based on your speed.

12/2 @ 250, 22/5 at .5, 50/10 at 1tb seems like a start.

It is a little odd that you can pretty much use your whole 250gb in 14 hours with the 50/10 product.

aefstoggaflm
Open Source Fan
Premium Member
join:2002-03-04
Bethlehem, PA
Linksys E4200
ARRIS SB6141

aefstoggaflm to JohnInSJ

Premium Member

to JohnInSJ
said by JohnInSJ:

You're very welcome. Enjoy the FIOS - I would have it if it were an option here. Until they do jack it all up (it IS Verizon after all) it's a fantastic STEAL of a deal.
Thank you for your reply, however I am not on FIOS (I am still on DSL the 3MB plan).

So, what about users who use Verizon DSL - will they have caps (and the other questions, that I asked) ?

JohnInSJ
Premium Member
join:2003-09-22
Aptos, CA

JohnInSJ

Premium Member

said by aefstoggaflm:

So, what about users who use Verizon DSL - will they have caps (and the other questions, that I asked) ?
(sorry if it double posts - I replied once and it went into the black hole)

Post the TOS for your DSL and we can read it together and see.

When I was with sonic.net, they had a few users on their 6mbit plans that consumed TB of data, and they disconnected them. No consumer broadband is priced for 100% consumption, if it was it would cost the same as a T1 line.
jjv124
join:2009-11-21
Hanover, PA

1 recommendation

jjv124 to aefstoggaflm

Member

to aefstoggaflm
said by aefstoggaflm:

said by JohnInSJ:
Thank you for your reply, however I am not on FIOS (I am still on DSL the 3MB plan).

So, what about users who use Verizon DSL - will they have caps (and the other questions, that I asked) ?
I am the one who posted the verizon terms of service, according to their terms of service "broadband" applies to both their dsl connections and their fios connection. So that message about going over their limits applies to dsl as well.

chong673
join:2001-11-18
Jonesboro, GA

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Member

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There is no way 250GB will be enough as time goes on.

Wait until you guys own a 720p or 1080p camcorder. You will run out of space on your hard drive and bandwidth trying to upload it.

And more and more people are streaming in HD.

THZNDUP
Deorum Offensa Diis Curae
Premium Member
join:2003-09-18
Lard

THZNDUP

Premium Member

How did you do this month? Last I remember you already had 190-200GB within the first couple weeks.
DJboutit
join:2009-12-10
Columbia, MO

DJboutit to chong673

Member

to chong673
With 50mbps or 100mbps connection I would be able to max that in 10 days every month Comcast needs to bump up the bandwith limit to 600gb atleast

EG
The wings of love
Premium Member
join:2006-11-18
Union, NJ

1 recommendation

EG to chong673

Premium Member

to chong673
Bandwidth = $$$ Simple as that.....

JohnInSJ
Premium Member
join:2003-09-22
Aptos, CA

JohnInSJ to chong673

Premium Member

to chong673
said by chong673:

There is no way 250GB will be enough as time goes on.

Wait until you guys own a 720p or 1080p camcorder. You will run out of space on your hard drive and bandwidth trying to upload it.

And more and more people are streaming in HD.
My HD camcorder shoots 720p MP4 at 1GB/hour.

So I would have the ability to upload 250 hours/mo. Or 8.3 hours a day. Assuming I actually had a life, it seems somewhat impossible to shoot 8.3 hours of video every day, and then upload it somewhere.

Or did you mean a network television 8GB/hour 1080i MP2 TS network stream? Yeah, those eat a lot more bandwidth. But if I'm shooting with a $25k HD camera, I'm probably paying for business class internet to distribute my films.

Look, I agree that 250GB is too low, even now, for a few people. And that over time "a few people" will be "a handful of people" and then "one in 25" and then "one in 10" and so on. Unless metered billing happens first, they'll eventually have to bump the cap up. In the mean time you do have alternatives, even with comcast.

IPPlanMan
Holy Cable Modem Batman
join:2000-09-20
Washington, DC

IPPlanMan

Member

Why does your example have to be if you only do "one thing" with the internet to its theoretical maximum?

You're also forgetting that the 250GB of usage applies to upload and download combined.

You're also forgetting that connections can be shared by several people in a household. What if you and a couple of others have a Camera, view Vudu, Netflix HD Streaming, Apple TV, Videochat,...

Changes things doesn't it?

Here's what you're missing: Comcast wants the cap to stay at 250GB so they don't have to compete with these alternative content sources that stream online. In fact, I'd go so far to say that they're hoping that you don't even use your internet connection after you pay for it.

I can hear it now: Family of 4: It must be a business! Get business class!
AVonGauss
Premium Member
join:2007-11-01
Boynton Beach, FL

AVonGauss

Premium Member

I agree with the first part of your post, but the second part of your post seems to forget the fact that Comcast is already competing as well in the alternative media source arena and also has to deal with the same 250 GB cap. There are some clear areas where Comcast is leveraging their position to keep video customers, such as the surcharge for Internet only customers, but I don't think you can just throw the 250 GB cap in to the same boat. Ultimately it will probably be a usage based model that equalizes the equation, but many only both sides of the equation are not ready to be realistic about that model.

IPPlanMan
Holy Cable Modem Batman
join:2000-09-20
Washington, DC

IPPlanMan

Member

So we agree on the first part.

I certainly can throw it in the same boat. Let's say that you use up your 250GB cap on Comcast Xfinity content combined with other monthly usage activities. Where else are you going to go when you're over the cap?: Vudu, Apple TV/iTunes, Netflix? No more internet for you! That's right, you're gonna use Comcast's TV On-Demand.... because it's all you can do, short of a Blu-Ray or something.
AVonGauss
Premium Member
join:2007-11-01
Boynton Beach, FL

AVonGauss

Premium Member

You can do so if you choose, but that would not be looking at the situation realistically or objectively.

THZNDUP
Deorum Offensa Diis Curae
Premium Member
join:2003-09-18
Lard

THZNDUP to IPPlanMan

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to IPPlanMan
You did bring up a valid point though, what would Comcast say if 95-99% of your usage was for Xfinity content, etc and that you never left the HSI World of More?

chong673
join:2001-11-18
Jonesboro, GA

chong673 to gsm

Member

to gsm
Why is that U-Verse, DSL and others have no cap?

Verizon got cap?

Comcast cant be this cheap.

Free us from the bondage!

"Mr Comcast, tear down this wall!"

beachintech
There's sand in my tool bag
Premium Member
join:2008-01-06

beachintech

Premium Member

Every company has a point where if you abuse the network enough and cause issues for other customers, they will take action.

Comcast just chose to make it very public.

VZW has a 5 gig cap on their broadband packages for 3/4g.

macspeed
join:2010-04-05
Montgomery, TX

1 recommendation

macspeed to gsm

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We had our CS threat call this week, (our second in the 6 years we've lived here). Funny thing is, I knew it was coming based on the issues surrounding our first run in with them...

Also for the second time in six years we had a drive failure which ate our entire iTunes library. Over 500GB worth of music, movies, TV shows and iPhone apps went "poof". Also for the second time, apple was kind enough to set us up with a download of all that bought and paid for, licensed content.

Now, on top of our family full of Netflix users (four of us with separate devices), apple TV / iTunes, Hulu, Fancast, backblaze, xbox live, wii, iPhones, VOIP and so on we managed to hit a TB of traffic last month which means our "normal" monthly traffic is around 400 to 500GB.

No one is sharing files here, no torrent downloads, etc - the only thing I download in addition to all that paid for media is the occasional HD TV show and that when one of our 5 DVR's fail (which happens quite often, actually) and since I'm paying the DVR fees I don't see those downloads as being "illegal".

Here's what bothers me....
1. Comcast is the only game in town here. DSL can't even find our house and want us to provide the phone company with a telephone number in order to do so which we can't give them because the phone company can't locate us....
2. The days of network congestion where my level of internet use slows down anyone else are long gone.
3. If "99 percent" of the customers don't go near 250GB then the remaining 1 percent really shouldn't be a problem.
4. I pay for the "premium" internet service, "premium" HD cable and DVRs. I really, really can't see where comcast is losing money on my service.

So now which of the many internet driven services we have do I get rid of? What business is going to lose my service now since Comcast wants to push 1990 traffic limits?

Sure, they have a monopoly now but we're moving soon and one of the top 5 deal breakers for me is that our new home have a different internet and HD provider. I can't wait to switch to someone else.

JohnInSJ
Premium Member
join:2003-09-22
Aptos, CA

JohnInSJ to chong673

Premium Member

to chong673
said by chong673:

"Mr Comcast, tear down this wall!"
Vote with your wallet. Or pay for a much higher cap (business class)