Comcast Users Must Now Pay $50 Per Month Extra to Avoid Caps In a letter being sent to Comcast customers in usage capped markets, the company says that with the recent announcement of usage caps being bumped to 1 terabyte, the company is also capping the amount of additional charges capped users can incur -- to $200 in a single month. As it stands, customers that cross the 1 terabyte limit face overage fees of $10 per each additional 50 GB consumed. But under the revised plans, customers have to pay $50 (up from $30 to $35) extra per month to avoid usage caps entirely.

"Because you are an unlimited data customer, we will maintain your current rate of $35 until the end of 2016," the letter (posted by users in our forums ) reads. Comcast's recent decision to bump their caps to 1 terabyte weren't driven by altruism. With the FCC preventing Charter from imposing caps for seven years as a merger condition, the agency has signaled that it may start getting more serious about cracking down on usage caps in the broadband market. If FCC action on caps happens, it likely won't happen until the broadband industry's lawsuit against the FCC's net neutrality rules is settled. A ruling is expected any week now. Comcast was also motivated to raise its caps to one terabyte after AT&T announced it would begin imposing caps of its own, ranging from 300 GB to 1 terabyte, starting this week. "Our data plan trials are part of our ongoing effort to create a fair, technologically-sound policy in which customers who use more data pay more, and customers who use less pay less," Comcast has said of the usage cap "trials." But contrary to what ISPs like Comcast claim, caps are little more than aggressive price hikes on uncompetitive markets, designed to protect revenues from a migration toward streaming video. So while Comcast's decision to raise the cap and limit monthly penalties is welcome, the caps remain little more than a glorified price hike on what's already some of the most expensive broadband in the developed world. But contrary to what ISPs like Comcast claim, caps are little more than aggressive price hikes on uncompetitive markets, designed to protect revenues from a migration toward streaming video. So while Comcast's decision to raise the cap and limit monthly penalties is welcome, the caps remain little more than a glorified price hike on what's already some of the most expensive broadband in the developed world.







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Most recommended from 68 comments

microphone

Premium Member

join:2009-04-29

Parkville, MD 13 recommendations microphone Premium Member I don't want to keep track of usage. I would rather have a slower speed, let's say 10mb/s, then have to count bytes and pay for uninvited flash advertisements.

AlphaOne

I see

Premium Member

join:2004-02-21 10 recommendations AlphaOne Premium Member But ... Isn't it the reason they're having caps is because they're claiming that some users degrades the system and affects other users from the same node?



Now that these customers generates more revenue, they won't care for the other customers anymore.



That's BS.



Obviously, there's no more congestion problem (due to system upgrades etc). They just want to make more money.

somms

join:2003-07-28

Centerville, UT 9 recommendations somms Member I pay less for 300Mbps symmetrical service than Comcast wants to steal for



Wow..I am so lucky no longer being a customer of this brutal incumbent! the privilege of not exceeding some arbitrary 'cap'.Wow..I am so lucky no longer being a customer of this brutal incumbent! axiomatic

join:2006-08-23

Tomball, TX 4 recommendations axiomatic Member Jeez.... Speaking as a Comcast customer. Comcast had better keep doing what they can to stop competition in this market, because if I get hit by this cap on the extreme 300 plan that I am currently on (read as STUPID expensive) I guarantee I will switch to someone else when (if ever) it is possible. I pay Comcast a ridiculous sum for a paltry 300 mbps.



Some would tell me to switch to "Business Class." Well I did, and when Comcast could not meet their guarantee of 24 hour response time during an outage FIVE DIFFERENT TIMES and then said, were cancelling your Business Class contract because we can't meet the service agreement. (Yes they have the right to cancel the contract but I can't per contract clause) Makes you start to wonder why they deserve the overage money for cap violations? How many more customers are they in contract violation with? How many of them are too lazy or too busy to complain.



I'm not one for micromanaging the private sector, but this is all way out of control. FCC needs to reel this back in the the land of reality.

buzz_4_20

join:2003-09-20

Biddeford, ME 3 recommendations buzz_4_20 Member If I had to pay THAT MUCH extra You know I'd be finding a way to use as much data as possible.



Also, I see talk about Pay Less... but where is that? Kuro

join:2014-10-01 2 recommendations Kuro Member "Trial" Really hate the term Trial Market. How long does a trial last because we are coming up on this being the norm for about 4 years.