I like to think I come in on the heavier side of data consumption when it comes to my home Internet. I watch most of my TV online, stream movies, download music, and can browse like no other – I’m the Mohamed Ali of browsing, if you will. Even so, I just checked my account, and I only used an average of 70 GB a month for the past three months. With those kinds of rates, I’m smack-dab in the middle of Normalsville, living at the end of a cul de sac, residing at 1234 Main Street.
On the high end is 250 GB per month. Until now, that’s where Comcast has drawn the line for monthly data limits. Good news for the hardcore gaming, 24-hour movie streaming pirates out there, because Comcast has decided to lift the data cap.
Now don’t get too excited all you data gobblers. The un-capping comes at a price. The Wall Street Journal reports:
The cable operator plans to experiment with a couple of different ways to manage data use. Under one scenario, it will impose a data cap of 300 gigabytes and charge for additional use, likely $10 for each additional 50 gigabytes. A second possibility is to offer tiers of bandwidth, possibly starting with 300 gigabytes for those who subscribe to their lowest tier of Internet service. Customers who pay for premium tiers of broadband service will get higher thresholds.
I’m wondering when the angry letters from Normalsville citizens will start coming in complaining that, if there’s a tiered system of payment that charges more for big-time data users, shouldn’t there be a discount for those living well below that level?
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