Comcast continues to ignore customer backlash, and continues to dramatically expand the company's broadband usage caps and overage fees. A close look at Comcast's usage cap "trial" FAQ indicates that the company plans to quietly expand caps into Little Rock, Arkansas; Houma, LaPlace and Shreveport, Louisiana; Chattanooga, Greenville, Johnson City/Gray, Tennessee; and Galax, Virginia starting December 1. In all of these markets users now face a 300 GB monthly usage cap, with $10 per 50 GB overage fees.
Last month Comcast added a new wrinkle: users can pay an even larger fee if they want to
avoid usage caps altogether.
Originally the idea of paying a heavy premium to avoid caps was first launched in Florida October 1, where capped markets can now pay $30 (on top of Comcast's already high prices) to avoid caps. In Atlanta Comcast customers have to pay even more: $35.
A copy of the notice being sent to users informs them that they shouldn't worry about the caps, because the "median usage for XFINITY Internet customers is 40 GB of data in a month" and "it appears this new 300 GB data plan will not impact you."
Of course with the rise of Internet video and 4K streams most households will certainly find their usage soaring over the next five years. And that's just it: Comcast's hoping to have these caps in place before Internet video truly takes off as a way to counter the inevitable revenue decline of traditional television.
While this motivation for this glorified rate hike is fairly obvious to most Comcast customers, the cable giant continues to insist that the caps aren't about padding Comcast's revenues, but about "fairness." And while the lion's share of Comcast customers have made it clear they believe the cable company is price gouging uncompetitive markets, Comcast shows no sign of slowing cap expansion, with around 15% of the company's users now facing usage limits.
Comcast informs freshly-capped customers that they'll be notified when they're reaching their allotment via e-mail and an in-browser injection message, the latter of which many users find intrusive.
"If you are on the 300 gigabytes plan, we will send you a courtesy "in-browser" notice and an email letting you know when you reach 90 percent, 100 percent, 110 percent and 125 percent of your monthly data usage plan amount," states the company.
Traditionally, Comcast has targeted many of its less competitive markets with its caps since users there can't vote with their wallet. But this latest expansion curiously includes Chattanooga, Tennessee, home of the EPB municipal fiber service Comcast previously tried to sue and lobby out of existence. Surely EPB will appreciate the additional business.
Users weary of Comcast's cap plans can complain to the FCC here. The full e-mail being sent to customers in freshly-capped Comcast markets is included below:
quote:
An important update about your XFINITY Internet serviceHi ####
We’re writing to let you know that we will be trialing a new XFINITY Internet data plan in your area. Starting December 1, 2015, your monthly data plan will include 300 GB. We will also trial a new “Unlimited Data” option that will give you the choice to purchase unlimited data for $35 per month in addition to your monthly Internet service fee.
The median usage for XFINITY Internet customers is 40 GB of data in a month. And based on your recent usage history, it appears this new 300 GB data plan will not impact you. If you are not sure of your monthly data usage, please refer to the Track and Manage Your Usage section below.
Here are the details of the plan:
While we believe that 300 GB is more than enough to meet your Internet usage needs, if for any reason you exceed the 300 GB included in your plan in a month, we will automatically add blocks of 50 GB to your account for an additional fee of $10 each. We’re also implementing a three-month courtesy program. That means you will not be billed for the first three times you exceed the 300 GB included in the monthly data plan.
Here are the details of the Unlimited Data option:
If you don’t want a 300 GB data plan, the new Unlimited Data option is an alternative that provides additional choice and flexibility, especially for customers who use lots of data. You can choose to enroll in the Unlimited Data option at any time for an additional fee of $35 a month, regardless of how much data you use. Enrollment in this option goes into effect on the first day of the subsequent calendar month. For additional information, click here.
Here are a few tools for you to easily track and manage your usage:
Usage meter – Track how much data you have used each month with our usage meter.
Data Usage Calculator - Estimate your data usage with our calculator tool. Simply enter information on how often and how much you typically use the Internet, and the calculator will estimate your monthly data usage.
Notifications - If you are on the 300 GB plan, we will send you a courtesy "in-browser" notice and an email letting you know when you reach 90%, 100%, 110%, and 125% of your monthly data usage plan amount. You can also elect to receive notifications at additional thresholds as well as set up mobile text notifications. Learn more about notifications here. Notices will not be sent to customers who enroll in the Unlimited Data option.
If you have any additional questions about the new data usage plan, please see our FAQs.
Thank you for being an XFINITY Internet Customer.
Sincerely,
Your XFINITY Team
Please note that this is a consumer trial. Comcast may modify or discontinue this trial at any time. However, we will notify you in advance of any such change.
