KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
 ·Cox HSI
 ·AT&T Southwest
| I still don't agree that knowledge = Greater use
This argument of "If we declare the Cap, then average users will increase usage to reach just below the Cap."
That's based on what--- Nothing. Personally, people use the internet the way they use it. I don't see anyone suddenly increasing usage just because they found out what their cap limit is. What I do see happening is the people who have been exceeding the limits CUTTING BACK their usage to just below the cap... but isn't that the point?
However, I think what Comcast really fears is the advertising damage--- they have to inform the public that NO, it isn't unlimited, and they are worried that the competition (DSL) may advertise their true, no capped limits....
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"Regulatory capitalism is when companies invest in lawyers, lobbyists, and politicians, instead of plant, people, and customer service." - former FCC Chairman William Kennard (A real FCC Chairman, unlike the current Corporate Spokesperson in the job!) |
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DMS1
join:2005-04-06
Carrollton, TX
| said by KrK  :Personally, people use the internet the way they use it. I don't see anyone suddenly increasing usage just because they found out what their cap limit is. What I do see happening is the people who have been exceeding the limits CUTTING BACK their usage to just below the cap... but isn't that the point? I disagree. The vast majority of users probably never exceed a tenth of what the current soft cap is. However, it the small band of heavy downloaders that have the potential to affect the performance of individual nodes because their usage can be many times the average. These are exactly the people who would take great pride in running to within a few megabytes of the limit. If these people found out that the limit was 400GB per month when they were only currently doing 350GB, they would up their usage. This is why any published cap is going to be way lower than the current soft caps. |
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KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK | Uh, those are the people who are exceeding the caps now. |
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wispagod
join:2001-06-28
House Springs, MO | reply to KrK
Well, it seems like fals advertising to me if they say unlimited usage, then try to enforce a cap, or complain when you use it to much, that's not right either |
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KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
·Cox HSI
·AT&T Southwest
| I'd tend to agree. These days they have shied away from using the word "Unlimited" to avoid the legal consequences but have done nothing to disperse the public misconception that it is unlimited, and since they don't tell you it's capped, in fact, they deny it if asked, people DO assume it's unlimited.
Thus the bad press every time a heavy user gets stomped on.
--
"Regulatory capitalism is when companies invest in lawyers, lobbyists, and politicians, instead of plant, people, and customer service." - former FCC Chairman William Kennard (A real FCC Chairman, unlike the current Corporate Spokesperson in the job!) |
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dadkins
Land of Confusion
Premium,MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA
·Comcast
| reply to KrK
It will happen like this...
xxxGB cap, "ONOES!!!1 I'm not getting all of what I'm paying for, must download for the sake of downloading because I am paying for it!"
Usage spikes! Your Comcast line chokes because all your neighbors take the above attitude and open it up!
You and I may not do this, but you know damn well some people will do it!
Screw that noise! 
--
Think outside the Fox... Opera |
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Rob
In Deo speramus
Premium
join:2001-08-25
Kendall, FL
·Comcast
·AT&T Southeast
| reply to wispagod
said by wispagod :Well, it seems like fals advertising to me if they say unlimited usage, then try to enforce a cap, or complain when you use it to much, that's not right either Comcast isn't advertising their service as unlimited, therefore, they aren't guilty of false advertising. |
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Rob
In Deo speramus
Premium
join:2001-08-25
Kendall, FL
·Comcast
·AT&T Southeast
edit:
September 18th, @02:31PM
| reply to KrK
said by KrK :I'd tend to agree. These days they have shied away from using the word "Unlimited" to avoid the legal consequences but have done nothing to disperse the public misconception that it is unlimited, and since they don't tell you it's capped, in fact, they deny it if asked, people DO assume it's unlimited. Thus the bad press every time a heavy user gets stomped on. Bad press by who? By DSLReports? By the Washington Post? Other than DSLReports, most news outlets that report the bad press have no clue what they are talking about. They only see 1 side of the story.
Every time a user comes here complaining they got cut off from Comcast because they downloaded 500GB .. or even worse, 1 TB in a month.. I smile, pat my cable modem, and enjoy watching them whine how they called and threatened to leave and go to DSL. |
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S_engineer
join:2007-05-16
Chicago, IL
| reply to KrK
How do you know that since Comcrap doesen't give you a number in black and white. Remember, these numbers also vary from market to market.
Personally, I think a number in black and white would be too low, therefore making Comcrap state a actual cap would be a bad idea.
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Burn a tire, but make sure you buy that carbon offset! |
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Nightfall
My Goal Is To Deny Yours
Premium,MVM
join:2001-08-03
Grand Rapids, MI
clubs:
 ·Site5.com
·AT&T Midwest
·Comcast
| reply to wispagod
said by wispagod :Well, it seems like fals advertising to me if they say unlimited usage, then try to enforce a cap, or complain when you use it to much, that's not right either Where have they advertised unlimited usage? I keep hearing this from various people here, and in the last 3-4 years there hasn't been a single print or TV ad that has been released that says "unlimited usage". Please provide some kind of proof. |
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lesopp
join:2001-06-27
Land O Lakes, FL
edit:
September 18th, @02:51PM
| reply to Rob
They also aren't advertising it as "limited".
This is from the fine print on the "Select a Package" web page:
Comcast High-Speed Internet: Equipment fees not included in monthly service charge. Prices do not include applicable taxes, installation or franchise fees. Pricing, content, and features may change and may vary by area. Call your local Comcast office for restrictions and complete details about service, prices, and equipment in your area. Pricing and service offerings displayed on this site are for residential Comcast customers only. Commercial and business pricing and service offerings differ. Prices are subject to change. Speed comparisons are for downloads only and are compared to 768Kbps DSL and 56Kbps dial-up. Maximum download speed of 4Mbps (or 6 Mbps) and upload speeds of 384Kbps (or 768Kbps) depending on the product that is selected. Increased speeds not yet available in all areas. Actual speeds may vary and are not guaranteed. Many factors affect download speed.
Based on what is on their website, a subscriber should be able to learn about limitations from their local office. Them not providing a definition for that local limitation is all the more reason to embrace competition. |
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DaSneaky1D
one wall to block them all
Premium,MVM
join:2001-03-29
The Lou
·Charter Pipeline
| reply to dadkins
Most people with HSI don't even know how to use the Internet that much, where to go to download that much, or have an idea what a GigaByte even is. I seriouly doubt there will be an upward trend by any majority if they stated their limits.
And honestly, anyone that can find a way to consume 300, 400, ect GB of data is quite likely wasting it. Are people routinely storing that much data a month? Are people watching 10 hours of IPTV everyday each month? Even a combination of activities is excessive, and the majority of HSI users are not that type of consumer for any residential ISP, let alone Comcast.
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:: my trivial ramblings :: |
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morbo
Complete Your Transaction
join:2002-01-22
00000
clubs: | reply to Nightfall
if you signed up under the "unlimited" banner 4+ years ago, they are on questionable legal ground if they try limiting it now. |
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dadkins
Land of Confusion
Premium,MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA
·Comcast
edit:
September 18th, @03:17PM
| reply to DaSneaky1D
As it stands, there are the FU** IT types of HSI customers and they get kicked eventually - good!
There are peoplr like myself that use the connection "normally" and will never have to worry about a cap or "The Letter/The Call"
Then there are the Power users that are aware that they are pushing the unknown "limits" with their monthly totals.
These are the ones that will likely see a stated cap and run right up to that limit EVERY month - "Because I pay for it".
There's the problem.
Forget that Comcast will likely set the hard cap at some silly low number so everyone will be on a level playing field.. like 50GB per month? Lower?
What do you think the average usage per customer is?
Aint 100GB. Sure as hell isn't 200GB
Screw that!
A 50GB cap would not CURRENTLY affect me, but what about the thousands of others out there that hit 100GB per month?
Sure going to piss off a few, eh?
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Think outside the Fox... Opera |
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funchords
Robb
Premium,MVM
join:2001-03-11
Hillsboro, OR
·Verizon Online DSL
 ·Skype
·Comcast
edit:
September 18th, @05:29PM
| reply to Nightfall
said by Nightfall :said by wispagod :Well, it seems like fals advertising to me if they say unlimited usage, then try to enforce a cap, or complain when you use it to much, that's not right either Where have they advertised unlimited usage? I keep hearing this from various people here, and in the last 3-4 years there hasn't been a single print or TV ad that has been released that says "unlimited usage". Please provide some kind of proof. They have implied unlimited use by not advertising limited use. Remember, they are head-to-head in competition with DSL and FIOS. Comcast's tiers are set to make the customer believe that Comcast HSI is superior (to DSL) or equal (to FIOS).
This issue is illustrating, in bright lights, that Comcast HSI is not what it seems.
See my post here: »Re: Comcast Bandwidth Abuse/Limits - Discuss here only
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Robb Topolski -= funchords.com =- Hillsboro, Oregon USA
Are you affected by Comcast's RST forging? How to test it! -or- Read my original report. |
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djrobx
join:2000-05-31
Valencia, CA
 ·AT&T U-Verse
·AT&T CallVantage
·Time Warner VOIP
·RoadRunner Cable
·DSL EXTREME
| reply to DaSneaky1D
A couple years ago I would have agreed that its difficult to actually consume so much data. But, with HD movies at around 9GB a pop (even more if not reencoded to DVD9 size), it's pretty easy to actually utilize a lot of gigs now.
Couple that with 8+mbps speeds even those huge data files don't really take that long to download. You can blow through that stated "90GB cap" in a day. |
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Kearnstd
Elf Wizard
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ
| reply to KrK
but still limits without saying what they are because its regional and then not being open in those regions is like a 200mi freeway, the first half is 65mph and not posted and the second half is 55mph again not posted, yet the cops know and issue tickets.
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[65 Arcanist]Filan(High Elf) Zone: Broadband Reports |
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funchords
Robb
Premium,MVM
join:2001-03-11
Hillsboro, OR
·Verizon Online DSL
·Skype
·Comcast
| reply to dadkins
Then there are the Power users that are aware that they are pushing the unknown "limits" with their monthly totals.
These are the ones that will likely see a stated cap and run right up to that limit EVERY month - "Because I pay for it". Does anyone here have a cell phone that comes with a certain amount of "free minutes" every month?
Do you use them?
It's the same thing. Nobody talks for the sake of talking, but some certainly talk more than others. Exposing the limit is not going to drive people to use it more. But it will tell the ones that are ALREADY using it heavily that they have to use it less.
Ah, but then again, there's that competition problem again.
As soon as Comcast is "limited," then DSL/FIOS have a field day. Just like Satellite had a field day with Comcast CATV over "Digital Cable."
--
Robb Topolski -= funchords.com =- Hillsboro, Oregon USA
Are you affected by Comcast's RST forging? How to test it! -or- Read my original report. |
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Ebolla
join:2005-09-28
Dracut, MA | reply to morbo
at that time it was more likely saying unlimited access with fine print indicating 24hour connection unlike many dial-up services. |
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DaSneaky1D
one wall to block them all
Premium,MVM
join:2001-03-29
The Lou | reply to djrobx
OK...Download, burn, delete.
Alright, I can see that. Even still, I think that the amount of people that would do that are still small enough to not impact a network if Comcast did state a hard line of acceptable usage. |
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