Comcast Still Pretending They Don't Have Data Caps The writing has pretty clearly been on the wall as Comcast slowly but surely has expanded their usage-cap trials throughout less competitive Southern markets. In Comcast trial markets, users pay the same price users in unlimited markets pay, except they get a 300 GB cap, and have to pay $10 for every 50 GB beyond that they travel. Comcast also copied a Time Warner Cable offer that provides a $5 monthly discount off a user's bill -- if they agree to a 5 GB per month usage cap with $1 per GB overages.

Pretend that usage caps aren't usage caps. It's very clear Comcast wants to expand these usage caps, raising very questions about how their planned merger with Time Warner Cable could dramatically increase the number of users impacted by caps. Comcast's solution to this while trying to pitch the deal to regulators? Comcast has already unsuccessfully tried this approach with the press, telling tech reporters and bloggers that the company doesn't have data caps, they have data thresholds. The company is continuing this bizarre line of logic in recent filings with the FCC: quote: “Comcast does not have ‘data caps’ today,” the company wrote this week in a filing with the New York Public Service Commission on its proposed acquisition of Time Warner Cable. “Comcast announced almost two years ago that it was suspending enforcement of its prior 250GB excessive usage cap and that it would instead be trialing different pricing and packaging options to evaluate options for subscribers—options that reflect evolving Internet usage and that are based on the desire to provide flexible consumption plans, including a plan that enables customers who want to use more data the option to pay more to do so as well as a plan for those who use less data the option to save some money. Except that Comcast's offer of $5 off your bill if you agree to a usage cap data threshold doesn't provide much savings, as you'll quickly run into the cap and run up significantly more charges. Comcast's not-so-secret goal is to get users on metered broadband to jack up data prices before the inevitable decline of TV and digital voice revenues (which are just data, after all). The problem for Comcast? Consumers prefer simpler flat-rate data pricing, and Comcast's trials are largely about figuring out how to market what's effectively an Except that Comcast's offer of $5 off your bill if you agree to adata threshold doesn't provide much savings, as you'll quickly run into the cap and run up significantly more charges. Comcast's not-so-secret goal is to get users on metered broadband to jack up data prices before the inevitable decline of TV and digital voice revenues (which are just data, after all). The problem for Comcast? Consumers prefer simpler flat-rate data pricing, and Comcast's trials are largely about figuring out how to market what's effectively an unnecessary price hike so it sounds more attractive. Comcast hopes the press and regulators approving the deal won't realize the potential problems inherent in such a plan if they simply call usage caps -- something else entirely.







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Most recommended from 86 comments



TechyDad

Premium Member

join:2001-07-13

USA 13 recommendations TechyDad Premium Member Caps Are To Kill Internet Video The real purpose of the caps (or "data thresholds") aren't to manage network congestion. They are to hurt Internet video. Without caps, you could watch as much Internet Video as you wanted and might be able to cancel cable thanks to this. With caps and overages, you are limited in how much Internet Video you can watch before you need to pay more money (to Comcast - thus helping them profit off of their competitors).



With a 300GB cap, you can watch 300 hours of Netflix at Standard Definition and 130 hours at High Definition. This means, if you don't use your connection for ANYTHING else, you can watch around 10 hours of Standard Definition Netflix a day or 4.3 hours of HD Netflix a day. While the SD Netflix seems fine (few people probably watch more than 10 hours of TV a day), the HD Netflix could easily find you hitting your cap. Especially if you use your connection for other purposes besides just Netflix.

pumpkinhead7

join:2002-06-14

Clarksburg, WV 10 recommendations pumpkinhead7 Member It's not a CAP its "pay more for less" They can market speak it any way they want, but you are going to be paying more for less service. Anyone who doesnt see through that is foolish. To think a corporation is doing this for anything except profit is insane.



Oh, and screw you comcast, you giant turd.