Cox Expanding Usage Cap, Overage Fee Trials to Two New States Cox Communications has announced the company will be expanding its usage cap and overage fee trials into two additional markets. Users in our Cox forum say the company has sent them a notification saying the company will now be charging overage fees in its markets in Florida and Georgia after conducting a "trial" in Cleveland for much of the last year. In these markets, Cox imposes caps ranging from 150 GB to 1 Terabyte depending on tier speed.

Users who exceed this amount of data are then charged $10 per each additional 50 GB of consumption. Cox's data plan and usage FAQ confirms the expansion. Cox doesn't provide much of a justification for the glorified price hike, only trying to claim that the shift to metered usage will somehow keep costs down for the majority of the company's customers. "We want to inform you about an upcoming change to Cox billing related to Internet data usage," the notice to Cox customers reads. "Beginning 11/21/2016, Cox is moving to a new billing method based on data usage that will help keep future costs reasonable for the majority of customers by charging the heaviest Internet users more." As we've long noted, there's little to no financial or network justification for usage caps and overage fees on fixed-line networks. They're charged predominately to protect ISP cable TV revenues from the rising threat of internet video. Most incumbent broadband providers are only able to impose such restrictions due to a limited amount of competition in their markets. Like most other ISPs pushing harder into usage caps, Cox tries to insist that 99% of its customers are on data plans that "more than adequately meets their monthly household needs."







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Most recommended from 32 comments



Anonc52be

@comcast.net 16 recommendations Anonc52be Anon Bad for economy! The Internet has helped our economy grow and develop. Adding any restrictions to the use of The Internet only hinders that growth and development.

digiblur

Premium Member

join:2002-06-03

Louisiana 6 recommendations digiblur Premium Member Tiers shrunk Figured this was coming after they lowered the Ultimate tier from 2 TB to 1 TB. Really no point in paying more for the higher tiers now. jkeelsnc

join:2008-08-22

Greensboro, NC 5 recommendations jkeelsnc Member Caps They are not needed and there is no real justification for caps. It does not cost Cox more to provide the service for someone using 2TB as it does for grandma checking email with her Ipad 3 times per week.



If someone put me on a cap I would just punish them by moving to a lower, cheaper tier. At least that way I would arrive at the cap more slowly. I doubt I'd use 1TB in a month but that is beside the point. There is no reason for the cap except for a way to collect more money from customers. tmc8080

join:2004-04-24

Brooklyn, NY 1 edit 5 recommendations tmc8080 Member price hike

whether you pay for the overages or not, it's a price hike to customers.



* » just say price hike and get it over with!whether you pay for the overages or not, it's a price hike to customers.* » stopthecap.com/

Economist

The economy, stupid

Premium Member

join:2015-07-10

united state 4 recommendations Economist Premium Member Evidently.. They did not get the memo re the TWC cap debacle. Meanwhile, new order pending with DSLx. TheWobbler

join:2010-07-24 2 recommendations TheWobbler Member This is why I went to FIOS Kept my CB account for Business, but traded in Resi for FIOS. IMO my market will probably be one of the last to go hard cap, it was the principle of the matter.