Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt backed off his company's tough data capping trial in early 2009, but he still likes the idea of some sort of pay-by-usage Internet model—and he suspects you (secretly) agree.

"I think you will naturally see evolve a world where people who use very little broadband expect to pay less and people who use a whole lot may complain, but in their hearts know they are going to pay more than somebody who reads e-mail once a week," said Britt at a conference this week, as reported by Multichannel News. "I think there will always be an unlimited tier, but I think you'll see the element of consumption introduced over time."

Britt's comments come as Canada is in the midst of a national debate on data capping thanks to a Bell Canada plan to force its caps onto even indie ISPs who purchase last-mile network access from Bell (most large incumbents already impose low data caps). Caps aren't unknown in the US, of course—Comcast allows 250GB per month—but they generally remain high even as ISPs like Time Warner generate terrific profits.

If data caps are really about finding a way to offer $3 per month broadband to grandma for her e-mail use, terrific. But if consumers see them simply as tools to squeeze more cash from customers (as they did in the Time Warner trials), then low caps will probably bring out Congressional resistance once again.