Virginia Cox bandwidth "abusers" are receiving letters warning them of their gluttony, but more interestingly listing the actual limits of the service (2GB per day and/or 30GB of downloads per month). While the letter itself (reprinted below) lists the hard limits, the Cox website does not, and the company's acceptable use policy is traditionally vague: "You must ensure that your activities do not improperly restrict, inhibit, or degrade any other user's use of the Service, nor represent (in the sole judgment of Cox) an unusually large burden on the network itself...."

Dear Cox High Speed Internet Customer:

In order to provide all Cox High Speed Internet customers with an optimal online
experience, Cox must effectively manage network resources for our users. As
part of our network management activities, we proactively identify accounts that
may be utilizing excessive network bandwidth.

Our records indicate that your account may be exceeding our bandwidth usage
policy. Please note that if the situation is not corrected, your Cox High Speed
Internet account may be suspended. Privacy note: Cox does NOT track Internet
sites that you visit or files you download - it only measures total bandwidth
used for purposes of network management. Below are frequently asked questions
regarding excessive bandwidth usage.

- What Are the Current Cox High Speed Internet Residential Bandwidth Limitations?
The Cox High Speed Internet acceptable use policy allows each user a maximum of
2GB per day and/or 30GB of downloads per month. Uploads are limited to 1GB per
day and/or 7.5GB per month. This is an extremely high limit - for example 2GB
of content is equivalent to about 60,000 pictures, 2000 minutes of MP3 music or
3 to 4 full-length movies.

- What Might Cause My Account To Use Excessive Bandwidth?
1. Often a peer-to-peer file sharing application such as KaZaa, Morpheus or
Gnutella may be the problem. These programs operate as file servers by default
and offer files from your hard drive to other Internet users, possibly causing
your account to use excessive bandwidth without your knowledge.
2. If you have a wireless home network, there is a possibility that other people
are using your wireless network without your knowledge and greatly increasing
your network usage. Please refer to the documentation provided with your
networking equipment to secure your connection with a password.
3. Your computer may be affected by a computer virus. A virus will often send
out mass emails from your computer without your knowledge. Installing antivirus
software on your computer and scanning for possible infections may resolve this
issue.
4. In some cases, excessive usage indicates the presence of a commercial
Internet server. Customers using servers and/or bandwidth above normal amounts
may be best served by a commercial account available from Cox Business Services
(www.coxbusiness.com).

- Does Using A File Sharing Application Violate the Cox Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)?
No, using a peer-to-peer file sharing program to download files does not in
itself violate the AUP. If your software is already configured not to share
files to other users, you should not have a problem. Please visit
support.cox.net/ (URL not finalized) for more information and instructions for
securing most common file sharing programs.

- Does Having A Wireless Home Network Violate the Cox Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)?
No, however Cox does not provide support for your home network and you must take
precautions to secure any wireless home network.

- What Will Happen If My Account Continues To Use Excessive Bandwidth?
If the excessive usage is not corrected, your account may be suspended per the
Acceptable Use Policy (AUP).

- Where Can I View The Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)?
The AUP is available online at
»support.cox.net/custsup/policies/accep..[?].

If you have further questions regarding this policy or feel you have received
this notice in error, please visit support.cox.net or send an email to
support@cox.net.

Thank you for your cooperation,

The Cox High Speed Internet Team
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