Comcast

A Comcast Corp. truck is pictured Feb. 2, 2006 in Salt Lake City.

(Douglas C. Pizac | The Associated Press)

Comcast Corp. says it plans to start limiting how much data its customers, which will soon include millions from Time Warner Cable, can use.

According to Computer World, Comcast executive VP David Cohen revealed the cable and Internet service provider would start capping data usage within the next five years. During a media summit with investors in New York on Wednesday, he called it "usage-based billing":

"That is the way you can deliver the equity proposition that heavier users pay more," Cohen said. "It really has nothing to do with [buying TWC]. It's a generic industry-related issue. [It's not] an open Internet issue... We think what we are doing is totally appropriate."

The Verge reports Comcast is testing monthly caps of 300GB (gigabytes) and 600GB in some markets, as well as a "flexible-data" option limited to 5GB. Subscribers who go over those amounts would pay extra fees, similar to the penalty for using too many minutes or text messages on a cell phone plan.

According to Digital Trends, Comcast currently uses 300GB monthly data caps in seven states: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Tennessee and South Carolina. Users who go over pay $10 for an additional 50GB.

Tech Crunch reports Comcast is "still working out exactly where they can cap things before" customers start complaining and switching providers.

Cohen predicted the majority -- more than 98 percent -- of Comcast's customers wouldn't be affected by data consumption thresholds. However, he did admit it's difficult to predict technology usage, given how much it's changed in the last five years (Netflix, iPads, etc).

And with the company expected to finalize its $45 billion takeover of Time Warner Cable later this year, things could be really different in 2019. For example, another mega-merger is in the works: AT&T is reportedly in talks to buy DirecTV for as much as $50 billion.

But how much is 300GB of data? How much does the average cable television subscriber use versus a cord-cutter?

According to Digital Trends, the average person with Internet-only service uses 212GB of data each month -- more than seven times those who watch traditional television. The bulk of that difference comes from streaming movies and TV shows through services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Instant Video.

Comcast's Xfinity site has a data calculator that allows users to predict how much data they'd use. A family with five Internet-connected devices (computers, tablets, smartphones, etc.) that streams 16 two-hour HD movies and 20 hour-long TV shows; visits 100 websites; and listens to 40 hours of streaming music uses 310GB per month.

In related news, the FCC voted 3-2 on Thursday to propose new "net neutrality" rules, allowing ISPs to charge content companies (like Netflix) for faster and more reliable delivery.

What do you think? Do you think a data limit would affect your bill or how you use the Internet at home?