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Comcast Considering 250GB Cap, Overage Fees
Insider provides details of new 'protocol agnostic' solution

A Comcast insider tells me the company is considering implementing very clear monthly caps, and may begin charging overage fees for customers who cross them. While still in the early stages of development, the plan -- as it stands now -- would work like this: all users get a 250GB per month cap. Users would get one free "slip up" in a twelve month period, after which users would pay a $15 charge for each 10 GB over the cap they travel. According to the source, the plan has "a lot of momentum behind it," and initial testing is slated to begin in a month or two.

"The intent appears to be to go after the people who consistently download far more than the typical user without hurting those who may have a really big month infrequently," says an insider familiar with the project, who prefers to remain anonymous. "As far as I am aware, uploads are not affected, at least not initially." According to this source, the new system should only impact some 14,000 customers out of Comcast's 14.1 million users (i.e. the top 0.1%).


As a few of you may have noticed, Comcast received a public relations beating and is being investigated by the FCC for their use of Sandvine gear to throttle upstream P2P traffic. This practice of using forged TCP packets to "break" BitTorrent connections was discovered first in our forums in May of last year, some five months before the Associated Press story made national headlines.

According to this source, the new system should only impact some 14,000 customers out of Comcast's 14.1 million users (i.e. the top 0.1%).
Comcast also boots high consumption users from their network for crossing an invisible consumption threshold. Based on user testimony, this limit has varied from 100-600GB per month, depending on regional congestion. Customers who cross the limit are sent this disconnection letter, which fails to tell the user how much consumption is too much. When pressed, Comcast refuses to clarify.

This new plan would seemingly change all that. The process is being built from the ground up around the idea of transparency as an effort to get the FCC off of Comcast's back. But the new system will also be part of a broader, industry-wide anti-piracy movement, part of which I discussed earlier today.

The new cap will be coupled with plans to increase enforcement of DMCA letters sent to P2P pirates. "Up until now, letters sent out to account holders have not been tracked," the source says. "This will change, with progressively increasing penalties, up to disconnection of the account after four letters within a 12 month period." This will be one way Comcast can maintain their promise to be "protocol agnostic," while still booting some high-consumption users.

Up until now, DMCA letters sent out to account holders have not been tracked. This will change, with progressively increasing penalties, up to disconnection of the account after four letters within a 12 month period.
-Comcast insider
There's no word yet on whether Comcast will provide customers with a bandwidth-usage tracking system, but it seems likely, says the source. "I know that the customer service folks absolutely do not want people continually calling in to check on their status," they say. "Nor do we want to get into arguments over whose bandwidth monitoring is accurate" they say, referring to users utilizing their own bandwidth measurement tools.

The source isn't certain whether this new cap and overage structure will be accompanied by throttling. Reading between the lines of their new deal with the Distributed Computing Industry Association, it seems likely that they'll ultimately be throttling just illegal P2P traffic, once network hardware evolves.

Keep in mind that this project remains in its preliminary stage and the numbers could easily change. As Comcast has previously noted, they won't officially announce the new system until the end of this year. Comcast has yet to respond to several requests for comment, though I'll be happy to publish their confirmation or denial of the project specifics. I'm currently in the process of digging for additional information.

"Personally, I think this is a step in the right direction and something that will benefit our customers," says my source. I've been writing about this issue for the better part of the last decade. I'm guessing many users will think a 250GB per month cap is too low and the $15 per 10GB overage fee is too high, but at least the new limits, if applied, are honest.

Update:I spoke briefly with Comcast spokesman Charlie Douglas, who has this to say about the 250GB cap: "Comcast is currently evaluating this service and pricing model to ensure we deliver a great online experience to our customers. We have not made any changes to our current service offerings and have no new announcement to make at this time."

Update 2: Looking at the user comments, I feel like the conversation shouldn't be so much about whether 250GB a month is reasonable (it is), but whether it makes sense to open the door to overage charges. Comcast would be the first major U.S. ISP to charge overage fees, and once that door is open, there's nothing to stop the caps from constantly getting lower and the per-GB fees from perpetually getting higher in an uncompetitive and poorly regulated market.
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StevenB
Premium Member
join:2000-10-27
New York, NY

StevenB

Premium Member

Cable companies need to wake up

By going to a tiered bandwidth plan, you're just going to make it that much easier to switch to DSL. They only people you will have left are the one's who cannot get DSL.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

1 edit

1 recommendation

FFH5

Premium Member

Re: Cable companies need to wake up

said by StevenB:

By going to a tiered bandwidth plan, you're just going to make it that much easier to switch to DSL. They only people you will have left are the one's who cannot get DSL.
And what makes you think that DSL providers won't follow suit? Once a big ISP like Comcast and TW do this, the rest will follow.

And that 250GB should be plenty. The biggest month I ever had was about 12 GB up & down combined and that was watching a few TV shows online I missed on TV and downloading one of those infamous linux distros.
EPS4
join:2008-02-13
Hingham, MA

EPS4

Member

Re: Cable companies need to wake up

The question is, why would a DSL provider cap when they don't have to? While I understand that DSL is also shared, it doesn't seem to have the same level limitations as DOCSIS 1.1 (which most of Comcast uses IIRC) that lead Comcast to think of capping.

SpaethCo
Digital Plumber
MVM
join:2001-04-21
Minneapolis, MN

1 recommendation

SpaethCo

MVM

Re: Cable companies need to wake up

said by EPS4:

The question is, why would a DSL provider cap when they don't have to?
Running circuits to remote terminals isn't free.

davoice
join:2000-08-12
Saxapahaw, NC

davoice

Member

Re: Cable companies need to wake up

said by SpaethCo:

said by EPS4:

The question is, why would a DSL provider cap when they don't have to?
Running circuits to remote terminals isn't free.
You're right. And the smart LECs used USF funds to get it done without costing them a penny. Just look at Bellsouth's (now AT&T) DSLAM and remote terminal ployments in Mississippi as an example.

}Davoice
patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY

patcat88 to SpaethCo

Member

to SpaethCo
said by SpaethCo:

said by EPS4:

The question is, why would a DSL provider cap when they don't have to?
Running circuits to remote terminals isn't free.
Replacing 2 line cards on 1 strand of fiber is almost free.

Combat Chuck
Too Many Cannibals
Premium Member
join:2001-11-29
Verona, PA

Combat Chuck to EPS4

Premium Member

to EPS4
said by EPS4:

The question is, why would a DSL provider cap when they don't have to? While I understand that DSL is also shared, it doesn't seem to have the same level limitations as DOCSIS 1.1 (which most of Comcast uses IIRC) that lead Comcast to think of capping.
Because capping has nothing to do with the line between the customer and the ISP; but the line between the ISP and other ISP's, which is an issue for every ISP regardless of how they deliver service to the customer.

SpaethCo
Digital Plumber
MVM
join:2001-04-21
Minneapolis, MN

SpaethCo

MVM

Re: Cable companies need to wake up

said by Combat Chuck:

Because capping has nothing to do with the line between the customer and the ISP; but the line between the ISP and other ISP's, which is an issue for every ISP regardless of how they deliver service to the customer.
I don't know if I agree with that. Carrier bandwidth is the cheapest bandwidth you can buy; it's generally a small number of massive circuits with large commits so Internet bandwidth itself is dirt cheap. The DS1/DS3/OC3 circuits to feed the remote terminals, on the other hand, require buildout of the telco ATM cloud which is definitely not cheap bandwidth.

The costs are in the last mile, always have been.
Crookshanks
join:2008-02-04
Binghamton, NY

Crookshanks

Member

Re: Cable companies need to wake up

said by SpaethCo:

The costs are in the last mile, always have been.
This held true even for POTS services. Recall how the price of long distance dropped like a stone after the AT&T divestiture while the price of local service has done nothing but increase. AT&T was using long distance revenue to subsidize the last mile and couldn't keep doing that once other players entered the long distance market.

How quickly we forget.

factchecker
@cox.net

factchecker to Combat Chuck

Anon

to Combat Chuck
said by Combat Chuck:

Because capping has nothing to do with the line between the customer and the ISP; but the line between the ISP and other ISP's, which is an issue for every ISP regardless of how they deliver service to the customer.
Chuck, you've got it backwards... Take it from someone who has worked/still works with enterprises that purchase transit bandwidth... Transit is the cheap bandwidth. Bandwidth for regional, long haul backbone and local access networks (last mile) are where the costs are for providers because they have to run fibre/coppper, install nodes/RTs, etc.

There is no transit and backbone level bandwidth shortage, it is entirely in the last mile.

Combat Chuck
Too Many Cannibals
Premium Member
join:2001-11-29
Verona, PA

Combat Chuck

Premium Member

Re: Cable companies need to wake up

said by factchecker :

Chuck, you've got it backwards... Take it from someone who has worked/still works with enterprises that purchase transit bandwidth... Transit is the cheap bandwidth.
That's not what everyone was saying a couple years ago when the "invisible cap" originally hit.

S_engineer
Premium Member
join:2007-05-16
Chicago, IL

S_engineer

Premium Member

Re: Cable companies need to wake up

Yes but with the rollout of docsis3, you can reach these caps faster than ever...costing you the consumer more than ever!

How Comcraptic!

Quaoar
join:2004-08-11
Fort Collins, CO

Quaoar

Member

Re: Cable companies need to wake up

Docsis 3.0 is only viable for Comcast in DIRECT competition with FIOS or similar. Most of Comcast will never see Docsis 3.0 since Verizon overlaps Comcast in only very limited areas.

Q

SpaethCo
Digital Plumber
MVM
join:2001-04-21
Minneapolis, MN

SpaethCo

MVM

Re: Cable companies need to wake up

said by Quaoar:

Docsis 3.0 is only viable for Comcast in DIRECT competition with FIOS or similar.
Saying this more times doesn't make it any more true.

The big gains on DOCSIS 3.0 deployments are in enabling switch digital video, allowing greater channel density without further degrading quality from compression. That you can get additional HSI bandwidth is just a nice cherry on the package.

The reason FiOS is being deployed by Verizon is that they needed a plant overhaul to be able to get into the video services distribution business. HSI gains are, again, only a side benefit.

PS: Minneapolis is a Qwest/Embarq market, and we have DOCSIS 3.0

funchords
Hello
MVM
join:2001-03-11
Yarmouth Port, MA

funchords

MVM

Re: Cable companies need to wake up

said by SpaethCo:

The reason FiOS is being deployed by Verizon is that they needed a plant overhaul to be able to get into the video services distribution business. HSI gains are, again, only a side benefit.
I don't get it. We (Internet subscribers) pay pretty big bills -- a good fraction of any double-play. Are we getting our share of the plant in return?

SpaethCo
Digital Plumber
MVM
join:2001-04-21
Minneapolis, MN

SpaethCo

MVM

Re: Cable companies need to wake up

said by funchords:

I don't get it. We (Internet subscribers) pay pretty big bills -- a good fraction of any double-play. Are we getting our share of the plant in return?
Not all services are created equal, even if they use the same amount of capacity on the plant. Video is largely identical downstream replication, and it's a gift that keeps on giving in terms of subscriber revenue *AND* advertising insert revenue. The engineering is less complex, there are no DoS attacks/worms/DMCA complaints/SPAM floods/etc in the video world. The capacity is fixed 24x7, making the infrastructure easy to plan for, and people are accustomed to paying premium rates for content.

Even though video services occupy the overwhelming majority of a cable system, what do you figure the ratio is for service calls on video vs data? My guess would be 1:10 for video:data.

funchords
Hello
MVM
join:2001-03-11
Yarmouth Port, MA

funchords

MVM

Re: Cable companies need to wake up

Good points, all of them.

It's been a breath-taking week -- and it's not over. The Network Neutrality news is snowballing.
Skippy25
join:2000-09-13
Hazelwood, MO

Skippy25 to S_engineer

Member

to S_engineer
As it should cost you more. If you are using that much bandwidth on a regular basis then you need to be paying for it. Plain and simple and now they are spelling out for you.

S_engineer
Premium Member
join:2007-05-16
Chicago, IL

S_engineer

Premium Member

Re: Cable companies need to wake up

said by Skippy25:

As it should cost you more. If you are using that much bandwidth on a regular basis then you need to be paying for it. Plain and simple and now they are spelling out for you.
Maybe they should have spelled it out before. I don't know where you learned the English language from but where I grew up "unlimited" meant without limitations. An invisible cap on an "Unlimited" network constitutes breach of contract.
patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY

patcat88

Member

Re: Cable companies need to wake up

said by S_engineer:

said by Skippy25:

As it should cost you more. If you are using that much bandwidth on a regular basis then you need to be paying for it. Plain and simple and now they are spelling out for you.
Maybe they should have spelled it out before. I don't know where you learned the English language from but where I grew up "unlimited" meant without limitations. An invisible cap on an "Unlimited" network constitutes breach of contract.
Comcast doesn't use the word unlimited anywhere, what makes you think it is?
Skippy25
join:2000-09-13
Hazelwood, MO

Skippy25 to S_engineer

Member

to S_engineer
We can play all day with what the term unlimited means in respect to your connection and the ISP's obligation to you and YOUR obligation to the ISP.

Bottom line is, as been pointed out numerous times already, they do not use the term Unlimited and haven't for quite some time.

You want unlimited bandwidth to download all the crap you want, then pony up the cash and get it or stop the whining.

factchecker
@cox.net

factchecker to Combat Chuck

Anon

to Combat Chuck
said by Combat Chuck:

said by factchecker :

Chuck, you've got it backwards... Take it from someone who has worked/still works with enterprises that purchase transit bandwidth... Transit is the cheap bandwidth.
That's not what everyone was saying a couple years ago when the "invisible cap" originally hit.
Well, most of "everyone" back then, like now too, probably have no idea of how transit bandwidth is purchased and priced.

Yes, transit WAS more expensive back when the "invisi-cap" sprang up, but that was partly because interfaces and hardware just for those transit circuits was more expensive (think about how much a router that could handle a dozen or two GigE or OC48 or OC192 interfaces cost back then compared to now). There also wasn't as much capacity on the backbone and access portions of the major carriers' networks that ISPs connect to as there is now (thanks to DWDM, etc.).

But if it was being said that transit costs were part of the reason for the "invisi-caps"... That would be true...

As for now, with most ISPs connecting to transit providers (or being their own transit providers) at, in most places, 1 and 10 Gbps, there definitely is not issue with transit. The problem is that the last mile is much harder to upgrade than a router card swap or installing a new router.

funchords
Hello
MVM
join:2001-03-11
Yarmouth Port, MA

funchords

MVM

Re: Cable companies need to wake up

So do we need this new policy at all? Maybe what we need -- all we need -- is something that addresses the uplink side?

Jeff
Connoisseur of leisurely things
Premium Member
join:2002-12-24
GMT -5

2 recommendations

Jeff to FFH5

Premium Member

to FFH5
said by FFH5:
said by StevenB:

By going to a tiered bandwidth plan, you're just going to make it that much easier to switch to DSL. They only people you will have left are the one's who cannot get DSL.
And that 250GB should be plenty. The biggest month I ever had was about 12 GB up & down combined and that was watching a few TV shows online I missed on TV and downloading one of those infamous linux distros.
I really dislike when people say what should be enough for someone else. That's great that you only use 12GB. Perhaps it's just you in your house, and a significant other. Then again, you have other people, homes with parents, 4 teenagers, Netflix movie downloads, etc.

NOCMan
MadMacHatter
Premium Member
join:2004-09-30
Colorado Springs, CO

NOCMan

Premium Member

Re: Cable companies need to wake up

I agree. Music downloads, web surfing, online radio, video games, Movie rentals from Itunes range from 600M to over 6G.

Backing up all my digital media online would put me over a terabit. So you're telling me it would take me several months to download all of it. That limit would severely limit innovation on the internet.

ropeguru
Premium Member
join:2001-01-25
Mechanicsville, VA

ropeguru

Premium Member

Re: Cable companies need to wake up

said by NOCMan:

...

Backing up all my digital media online would put me over a terabit. So you're telling me it would take me several months to download all of it. That limit would severely limit innovation on the internet.
Sad part is that with all the wimpy upload speeds, you would be through a month and still wouldn't have a complete backup..

JamesPC
join:2005-10-12
Orange, CA

JamesPC

Member

Re: Cable companies need to wake up

thats why you upload 24/7, but still takes awhile with 120kb/s

NOCMan
MadMacHatter
Premium Member
join:2004-09-30
Colorado Springs, CO

NOCMan to ropeguru

Premium Member

to ropeguru
I have FIOS 15mbit upstream. Not my fault other ISP's are crap.

JamesPC
join:2005-10-12
Orange, CA

JamesPC to NOCMan

Member

to NOCMan
Great point NOCMan. There should be no limitations on a unlimited service. And if they cant offer unlimited SOMEONE WILL!

Quaoar
join:2004-08-11
Fort Collins, CO

Quaoar

Member

Re: Cable companies need to wake up

Comcast dropped the "unlimited" at least two years ago, perhaps three.

Q
patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY

patcat88 to JamesPC

Member

to JamesPC
said by JamesPC:

Great point NOCMan. There should be no limitations on a unlimited service. And if they cant offer unlimited SOMEONE WILL!
Since when is broadband run by a socialist or communist state?

Concept of capitalism guarantees there will not be true unlimited service.

Cisco and Lucent don't make unlimited speed equipment.............

Jeff
Connoisseur of leisurely things
Premium Member
join:2002-12-24
GMT -5

Jeff to NOCMan

Premium Member

to NOCMan
said by NOCMan:

I agree. Music downloads, web surfing, online radio, video games, Movie rentals from Itunes range from 600M to over 6G.

Backing up all my digital media online would put me over a terabit. So you're telling me it would take me several months to download all of it. That limit would severely limit innovation on the internet.
Shit, I forgot about 3rd party online backup. Yep, that would set me over the 1TB limit as well.

•••

SpaethCo
Digital Plumber
MVM
join:2001-04-21
Minneapolis, MN

SpaethCo to Jeff

MVM

to Jeff
said by Jeff:

I really dislike when people say what should be enough for someone else.
They had to quit using the phrase "One Size Fits All" because of statements like this.

A former coworker of mine now works for Charter Communications here in MN -- for grins I asked him about the node data they collect from the CMTS head-end. He showed me a sample report and I was surprised that I had to skip through a few pages before I found the first line that showed > 2GB of usage.

Statistically speaking, 250GB would easily fit 99+% of the existing user base usage.

••••••••••••••••
Crookshanks
join:2008-02-04
Binghamton, NY

Crookshanks to FFH5

Member

to FFH5
said by FFH5:

And what makes you think that DSL providers won't follow suit?
Because the telcos are hemorrhaging customers left and right to cable's triple play offerings and need something to use as a competitive advantage, even if said advantage won't matter to 99% of their customers?

Realistically speaking how many broadband customers even cared about getting faster speeds? Isn't everything above a certain point (1.5 or even 3.0Mbps) just gravy to the vast majority of broadband users? That still hasn't stopped them from engaging in speed wars in areas with real competition. Why will this be any different?
SilverSurfer1
join:2007-08-19

SilverSurfer1 to FFH5

Member

to FFH5
said by FFH5:

And that 250GB should be plenty. The biggest month I ever had was about 12 GB up & down combined and that was watching a few TV shows online I missed on TV and downloading one of those infamous linux distros.
Well that settles it once and for all then. You, personally, have not used over 250 gigs so that stat, of course, applies to everyone else.

Cabal
Premium Member
join:2007-01-21

1 recommendation

Cabal

Premium Member

Re: Cable companies need to wake up

said by SilverSurfer1:
said by FFH5:

And that 250GB should be plenty. The biggest month I ever had was about 12 GB up & down combined and that was watching a few TV shows online I missed on TV and downloading one of those infamous linux distros.
Well that settles it once and for all then. You, personally, have not used over 250 gigs so that stat, of course, applies to everyone else.
Nope, just 99.9% of Comcast's users.
rapidrick
join:1999-10-28
Bear, DE

rapidrick to FFH5

Member

to FFH5
The easiest way to ensure it doesn't catch on is to canel the service!

I would recommend it too! The charge extra, call up and cancel. Trust me, if enough people do it, this idea will get axed quick....
BosstonesOwn
join:2002-12-15
Wakefield, MA

BosstonesOwn to FFH5

Member

to FFH5
Apr 21st to 28th 2008 30.78 GB 10.62 GB 41.40 GB

One week watching hulu and updating Windows and ubuntu.

They can't stop the bandwidth monster. They need to start coming up with a new method. docsis 3 can only do so much for them.

As soon as this becomes official , Im gone , just on principal.

Sell me a pipe don't try and be a controller. Once these HD video services kick off , we really need just pipes. This sounds like comcast is trying to figure out what the future holds. And throttling torrents was the better of the 2 evils. Now they are trying to find fair numbers , but I am voting with my wallet.
88615298 (banned)
join:2004-07-28
West Tenness

1 recommendation

88615298 (banned)

Member

Re: Cable companies need to wake up

said by BosstonesOwn:

Apr 21st to 28th 2008 30.78 GB 10.62 GB 41.40 GB

One week watching hulu and updating Windows and ubuntu.
41.4 GB per week X 4.3 weeks a month=178 GB a month. That still leaves you 72 GB left. No worries.
As soon as this becomes official , Im gone , just on principal.
And good riddence to you then.

SpaethCo
Digital Plumber
MVM
join:2001-04-21
Minneapolis, MN

SpaethCo to StevenB

MVM

to StevenB
said by StevenB:

The only people you will have left are the one's who cannot get DSL.
... or the overwhelming majority of folks who never consume > 250GB/month.

•••
radam
join:2004-02-13
Fairfax Station, VA

radam to StevenB

Member

to StevenB
Sounds like Comcast coverage areas need Verizon competition. This competition has forced Cox to be more customer focused in Fairfax VA.

JamesPC
join:2005-10-12
Orange, CA

JamesPC

Member

Re: Cable companies need to wake up

The Cable Co's need telco competition everywhere.

KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium Member
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
Netgear WNDR3700v2
Zoom 5341J

1 recommendation

KrK to StevenB

Premium Member

to StevenB
250GB seems fair.... but the $15.00 for 10 GB is steep. $1.50 a GB is way too high.... It's obviously designed as a penalty to try and get people to cut usage, otherwise, why not just give the 250GB and then meter the rest above that for a realistic figure, say 10c a GB...

The reason is most likely to do with the infrastructure configuration. They think the nodes could become overloaded at the neighborhood level. So they will use the steep pricing to encourage people to stay down on usage.

•••

Evergreener
Sent By Grocery Clerks
join:2001-02-20
Evergreen, CO

Evergreener to StevenB

Member

to StevenB
It's about time they started considering a sane pricing model. One of two things will happen:

1) Their low-margin customers will pay a premium for overages

or

2) Their low-margin customers will go be low-margin DSL customers

Just freaking tell me exactly what I get for how much. The same flat-rate "UNLIMITED" data transfer pricing model is not sustainable for both casual and hard-core users.
supertech315
join:2006-03-01
Perris, CA

supertech315 to StevenB

Member

to StevenB
Only the top 0.1% ...comcast can afford that if anything will be a benefit to get rid of them

tc1uscg
join:2005-03-09
Gulfport, MS

tc1uscg to StevenB

Member

to StevenB
said by StevenB:

By going to a tiered bandwidth plan, you're just going to make it that much easier to switch to DSL. They only people you will have left are the one's who cannot get DSL.
Then maybe, the FCC will say.. "Ok, go ahead.. but.. as long as your adding caps, if you sell service at 10mbps, that's what you HAVE to provide. Anything less, and you have to credit your customer(s)".. Naw.. just day dreaming. Martin doesn't have the balls.

••••

OldGrayWolf
join:2007-10-06

OldGrayWolf to StevenB

Member

to StevenB
I've monitored my bandwidth usage. I fits in the 250GB per month bandwidth.

However, I can also look at my router logs. The router logs have entries for constant port scans and messenger SPAM from malware infected computers on THEIR network. This is NOT included in the bandwidth measurement I have taken because they just bounce off my router.

If they don't exclude these unsolicited attempts to connect to my computer/network, it will distort the statistics of my bandwidth usage.

This idea is not going to work very well.

I think that companies that have TV content provided through other channels (such as Comcast/TimeWarner/et.al.) are trying to limit the adoption of Internet TV and other video Internet sources that are already available in Europe in order to maintain their revenue.
patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY

patcat88

Member

Re: Cable companies need to wake up

said by OldGrayWolf:

I've monitored my bandwidth usage. I fits in the 250GB per month bandwidth.

However, I can also look at my router logs. The router logs have entries for constant port scans and messenger SPAM from malware infected computers on THEIR network. This is NOT included in the bandwidth measurement I have taken because they just bounce off my router.

If they don't exclude these unsolicited attempts to connect to my computer/network, it will distort the statistics of my bandwidth usage.

This idea is not going to work very well.
Comcast will just NAT and therefore firewall everyone and no more incoming traffic, of any kind. If you want an IP you will have to get business class.

Quaoar
join:2004-08-11
Fort Collins, CO

Quaoar to StevenB

Member

to StevenB
Right DSL, only if you live within the 5k feet of the local switch that gives you anything above dial-up speeds. That might be 30% of Comcast subscribers.

Q

Why_Knot
@sbcglobal.net

Why_Knot to StevenB

Anon

to StevenB
If Cable companies put a cap on bandwith - and charge the proposed 1.50 per 10GB - then users who use under their proposed 250GB should be allowed to roll-over their unused bandwith for lets say a year. Sort of like the phone companies do. Seems fair to me.

Chuckles0
Premium Member
join:2006-03-04
Saint Paul, MN

Chuckles0

Premium Member

Rollover...

There should be some type of roll over MBs/GBs.

••••

FiL25
Premium Member
join:2005-08-16
Silver Spring, MD

1 edit

FiL25

Premium Member

What a GREAT number...

damn, typo... lol, still, Comcast is only here to dick the consumers.
gsm8
join:2004-09-29
Renton, WA

gsm8

Member

Get a job

if you have a full time job you should be ok I am lucky I can get 45 to 56gb a month and most of that is from when I reformat my desktop

•••••

Matt3
All noise, no signal.
Premium Member
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC

Matt3

Premium Member

Doesn't affect upload?

I thought Comcast said that P2P traffic was bringing their network to its knees? So they are asserting it's not the UPSTREAM channels that are taking the beating, but the downstream? Wow.

DaveDude
No Fear
join:1999-09-01
New Jersey

DaveDude

Member

Re: Doesn't affect upload?

because Comcast upstream is so pathetic , they dont mention it.

STrRedWolf
join:2006-06-18
Severn, MD

STrRedWolf

Member

250MEG?

250 Meg?!? That's XP Service Pack 3! It better be 250 Gig. Talk about worse than satelite!
STrRedWolf

STrRedWolf

Member

Re: 250MEG?

Correction, it's 250 gig. That's better. Only 50 times that of AT&T's semi-cap of 5 gig on their 3G cards.

FLengineer
CCNA, CEH, MCSA
Premium Member
join:2007-06-26
Deltona, FL

1 edit

FLengineer

Premium Member

Kudos

Grats Comcast.

This is a solution that is perfectly legal and not in violation of Net Neutrality. However I hope Comcast is going to provide a way for the average user to check on their usage. Most people don't know how to log into their router, and some routers don't record this data.

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netwire
Premium Member
join:2001-04-27
Dallas, NC

netwire

Premium Member

Not bad at all...

250GB per month is a lot of bandwidth for one person to consume. Heck, I don't even use anywhere near 12GB per month and I have two people using the internet. IMO, anyone that's using that much per month either is doing it for business reasons or file sharing.

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tshirt
Premium Member
join:2004-07-11
Snohomish, WA

tshirt

Premium Member

Tell me more

It seems reasonable, but I'd first want to see
1}An accurate useage meter (including useage history, to see how my usage fits the plan
2} What useage counts against the cap (i.e. Do comcast driven sites and ads "cost" me?)
3} The opportunity to buy a high cap/ flat rate or lower plan for less $(works best where a third party (work) pays your bill)
4} more details

••••••

Robert
Premium Member
join:2001-08-25
Miami, FL

Robert

Premium Member

Now we're talking..

I've always said that Comcast's "invisible" caps was a good thing because if they made the caps known, then they would lower them to something like 60GB, otherwise all the abusers would use exactly that amount per month.

250GB is PLENTY PER MONTH. Would be nice if we could have a website where we can see our monthly usage.

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93388818 (banned)
It's cool, I'm takin it back
join:2000-03-14
Dallas, TX

93388818 (banned)

Member

where

is Rick5 See Profile??

funchords
Hello
MVM
join:2001-03-11
Yarmouth Port, MA

funchords

MVM

Re: where

said by 93388818:

is Rick5 See Profile??
Apparently talking to Karl Bode See Profile under the condition of anonymity.

guhuna
5149.5
Premium Member
join:2001-03-31
Benicia, CA

1 recommendation

guhuna

Premium Member

Well.

Now shit, was it that hard? Took them what? 3 years to finally publish this?

••••
LowRider
join:2006-06-23
Dallas, GA

LowRider

Member

What ever happened to Docsis 3

well guess there not going to build there pipes for that and just do a temp fix like AT&T. Na but for real, if this is the case what happens when Dosis3 come out to all the users? will the caps still be in place? we need more answers

ztmike
Mark for moderation
Premium Member
join:2001-08-02
La Porte, IN

ztmike

Premium Member

Re: What ever happened to Docsis 3

said by LowRider:

well guess there not going to build there pipes for that and just do a temp fix like AT&T. Na but for real, if this is the case what happens when Dosis3 come out to all the users? will the caps still be in place? we need more answers
More than likely when they do raise the speeds, they will just make the caps higher.
patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY

patcat88 to LowRider

Member

to LowRider
DOCSIS 3 will be the financial windfall alternative to node splitting except in FIOS markets where it will be used for speed competition. Caps will still apply since Comcast would want heavy bandwidth users to leave by their own will to FIOS.

greg523
@comcast.net

greg523

Anon

once this happens im dumping comcast

att has been calling every other month about the new u-verse service thats available in my area. since right now comcast seems to be faster i decided not to change, but if they are going to make a 250gb cap there is no point in staying with them at least with u-verse i will be able to use my service as much as i want and not be ripped off by having to pay extra if i go over the cap limit

dosguy2000
@comcast.net

dosguy2000

Anon

Re: once this happens im dumping comcast

I'm with you on this. If the ISPs all start capping usage and charging for overage, I'll throw in the towel and go back to dialup. After all, the only reason for having high-speed in the first place is to be able to download large files in a reasonable amount of time. When it starts costing too much, I'll quit. (Not a threat, Comcast. A promise).
MontananIce
join:2008-04-21
Salt Lake City, UT

MontananIce

Member

250MB

I use a videoconferencing machine. At 384Kbps a second, I would hit the 250MB in mere minutes. This story must mean 250 GB cap not a 250MB. I hope...

Jeff
Connoisseur of leisurely things
Premium Member
join:2002-12-24
GMT -5

Jeff

Premium Member

Re: 250MB

said by MontananIce:

I use a videoconferencing machine. At 384Kbps a second, I would hit the 250MB in mere minutes. This story must mean 250 GB cap not a 250MB. I hope...
I think it was fixed---it has to be GB.

Millenniumle
join:2007-11-11
Fredonia, NY

Millenniumle

Member

...

The number is almost too large to believe. If it only affects .1%, and presumably cuts only a portion of the usage of that .1%, then it would seem to have little to no effect on congestion.

I really hope ISP's don't turn an internet connection into fee central. "Are there any prepaid options." Those Time Warner samples posted here a while back seem more like what is to be expected, unfortunately. Higher tiers have higher caps, but much lower than 250GB. Lower tiers have lower caps. Whichever tier, hitting the cap, and fees, is probable. Uhg!!
gworkman
join:2005-10-18
Las Vegas, NV

gworkman

Member

.01%

Seems to be a reasonable level to start out with. If only 14,000 of 14 Million are crossing this threshold, it would stand to reason these folks are doing something outside the norm. I'm sure those 14,000 have neighbors that would be better served if the hogs paid a bit more attention to their usage. There are some who, given all they can consume, will consume much more than they need.

••••

pokesph
It Is Almost Fast
Premium Member
join:2001-06-25
Sacramento, CA

pokesph

Premium Member

caps?

I have the 8meg plan and I sure as hello hope that there is higher usages set up for us.. and those on the 16/2 plans as well.

Some of us actually use our connections.. we would like to at least get what we pay for.. and caps are lame.

Well I sure wish there were better alternatives available.. T1+ costs too much.. DSL, too far from the CO/DSLAM (now) sat, to much lag and poor performance.. dialup, yeah right.. what else is there?

Surewest Fiber (locally) is near, but STILL won't deploy to my location/house even though I can look out of my window and see the feed.

Also, I think this may be another way MegaCorp Comcast can kill 2 birds with one stone: Make FCC et al happy by not messing with packets AND feed the already fat wallets of the corp and its shareholders. blah

I hope it fails. utterly.

•••

TongSama
join:2002-07-04
Santa Rosa, CA

TongSama

Member

ATT ur chance

to steal me away from comcast.. just match the speeds and no caps and i will switch. i recently got into high def content so this cap will hurt me
patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY

patcat88

Member

Re: ATT ur chance

And Comcast wont care if you leave, they are better off if you do.

DaveDude
No Fear
join:1999-09-01
New Jersey

DaveDude

Member

Fios ?

I wonder how FIOS will react to this, for some reason i think they will just ignore heavy users . This way they get even more cable customers
patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY

patcat88

Member

Re: Fios ?

Verizon has free bandwidth for FIOS. They do own the first Internet backbone provider (UUNet) and every other Tier 2 and Tier 3 backbone provider PAYS Verizon for access onto Verizon's backbone, and Verizon has free peering with all other Tier 1s. So FIOS is just a way to increase the value of Verizon's Tier 1 backbone by adding tons of high speed content sinks (residential customers). The faster that FIOS customers can suck bandwidth, the more expensive other Tier 2s and Tier 3s peering bandwidth costs get with Verizon which means more profit for Verizon.
Ulmo
join:2005-09-22
Aptos, CA

Ulmo

Member

Re: Fios ?

said by patcat88:

Verizon has free bandwidth for FIOS. They do own the first Internet backbone provider (UUNet)
UUNet was the first commercial backbone provider. BBN was the first provider, in the sense of ARPA-IP entity. Both started by using telco lines. I believe Verizon bought BBN, too, though, so your statement is roughly right enough.
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