My Electricity bill has a $8 base fee, which means that if I use *nothing at all* I still pay a $8 bill. Gas and water have similar fees. They are kept low for a reason.... they are just there to make sure you have a line, a pipe, etc, and the line and/or pipe works.

I would have NO problem whatsoever to pay $10 for a pipe with an IP address, and ALL data being charged at the rate AT&T uses.

$10 for 50 GB, pro-rated would be $0.20 per GB, With a $10 base fee, my bill would be LESS if I only use 100 GB that month, and it would be MORE if I use more than 250 GB that month.

I say let them classify Internet as a utility, and implement a flat base rate for the un-used connection, and then charge for using it.

But again: It needs to be measured CORRECTLY. If the water pipe BEFORE it gets to my house leaks, I am not paying for that water as it hasn't past my meter yet. The way AT&T is measuring now, that water would be counted.

For all the populist ranting we read here nearly every week, has anyone actually been assessed an overage charge and had to pay it, or been disconnected?

Wired caps are an inexpensive tool to influence behavior, not create additional revenue. Telco knows well how inaccurate they are. It doesn't matter.

They will be unenforced in the interim, and will go away when "network neutrality" nonsense fades from view.

But if you all push hard enough, who knows, maybe we'll have a national modem standard that includes federally certified usage metering.

Be very careful what you wish for.

Wired caps are an inexpensive tool to influence behavior, not create additional revenue.