Comcast Introduces 1TB Xfinity Data Plans

[memadmax]

Total BS, im disconnecting november 1st

 

[fanchiuho]

I advise everyone to look at their relevant video promo on Youtube and make the best decision. And by video I mean the like dislike ratio.

 

[problematiq]

Being that ISP's pay for the speed of the data and not the amount, I'm calling bull on this one. If the pipe gets clogged everyone is slowed down we see it during peak usage times, and sometimes QOS (Quality Of Service) kicks in.

You don't really believe this, do you? You're trolling, right?

I suppose you would have to work for an ISP to understand data caps are 100% pure weapons grade baloneuim.
The only cost ISP's have to deal with in regard to how much data you use is for the 3 years they have to keep the metadata.

 

[Brian Haugen]

"The ISP's network can only handle so much data traffic, so it has become necessary for them to apply data caps in certain areas"
Comcast admits this isn't true.
https://consumerist.com/2015/11/06/leaked-comcast-doc-admits-data-caps-have-nothing-to-do-with-congestion/

 

[Tykkopoles]

"The ISP's network can only handle so much data traffic, so it has become necessary for them to apply data caps in certain areas."

This is a frequently used justification for data caps, and it never has and never will be true. Instituting an all-encompassing monthly cap in order to conserve bandwidth is nonsense. Bandwidth can be seen like a freeway... More lanes means more cars can travel on it at once, just like higher bandwidth can handle more simultaneous connections.

So follow my analogy here: Imagine, for a moment, that a Department of Transportation was run like a ISP. Would restricting the amount of miles everyone is allowed to travel per month or the amount of fuel everyone is allowed to consume per month reduce traffic during rush hour? No, it would not. People would instead limit their driving to the most necessary, like to/from work (e.g. rush hour).

So if you are having extreme congestion issues, what ways to the various DOT's around the US work? They *encourage* people not to drive during rush hour. A good example would be HOV lanes for car-pooling. People that consolidate their driving into less vehicles are rewarded by a theoretically faster lane of travel.

So if ISPs do suffer from the supposed bandwidth woes they claim, a monthly data cap would do nothing. If they really wanted to lessen congestion during peak times, they would instead encourage people to not use the internet during those times. Cellular telecom companies know this well... Remember "free nights and weekends"? That was your cell phone company encouraging you to wait until off-peak (less congested) times in order to make phone calls.

How could that translate to ISPs? Well, two ways I could conjure: 1. Keep the monthly data caps, but exempt off-peak usage from that cap, like cell phone companies did. 2. Remove the data-cap and instead offer higher speeds during off-peak hours. Both ideas have the same thread in common: People are encouraged to use the internet less during peak times of the day.

Those ideas are not revolutionary, but we will never see them. Why? Because data caps are entirely about profit and nothing to do with actual congestion. ISPs, including cellular ISPs like Verizon Wireless, use reasons like "bandwidth" as weak justifications for needlessly monetizing their heavier users and increase profits. That's all it is.

 

[Tykkopoles]

The hardware used to maintain and run the network isn't capable of transmitting data at an unlimited speed. To help reduce overall network usage and avoid the pipeline from getting clogged, ISPs use a variety of methods to limit or discourage users from excessively using the network connection.

You do know that is absolute bollocks, right? Bandwidth != speed. Bandwidth is how many "lanes" is on the "freeway", not the "speed limit". Whether or not your data is transmitting at "unlimited speed" is irrelevant to the bandwidth congestion.

Furthermore, if ISPs wanted to discourage user from "clogging" up, they'd encourage them to use the internet during off-peak times with features like "nights & weekends" that don't count toward your limit or higher speeds during off-peak hours. This is what cell phone companies did back when congestion was a legitimate concern for cell phone usage. A monthly data cap would not reduce peak-time congestion any more than a monthly mileage limit would reduce the traffic during rush hour.

No, data caps are entirely used as a means to increase profits by monetizing heavier data users. Increasing the cap to 1 TB is a means by which to test the waters and see if a higher cap would be palatable for the majority of users. If it is, then they can finally start pushing out data caps to their customers in other areas.

Do you have any knowledge on networking at all to research and report on these things, or are you just a parrot that repeats company white-sheets?

 

[husker]

I wonder if comcast has considered the effect on website advertising when more people use ad blocking software to limit the amount of data used. Even if it doesn't make a big difference, people will do it on principle (along with all the other reasons).

 

[scarecrow2311]

I only became a Comcast sub in March and at the time they never mentioned ANY Cap incoming...... F@#$%!!

Fiber to the Home can't come fast enough for me, as my 'old' ISP offers it in select locations for $40 a month (http://www.sonic.net) but in my area (Silicon Valley) the only available option besides Comcast cable is 2mb-20mb ADSL (Thanks AT&T!...grrr)

This is obviously a ploy to make up revenue from 'cable cutters' who are not paying for Comcast Cable because they stream Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Kodi, etc...

There is no TECHNICAL reason for the cap its just price gouging ...period!

ps- my avg is 800GB +/- with a few months going over 1TB when we stream a lot of 1080P vids , download game installs via Steam on multiple systems for example..

 

[vanquished]

I'm in Massachusetts. I have the 150mbps plan, does that mean I'm do not have a cap? Even with that speed and a fair amount of streaming and downloading and videogaming we only use about 200gb a month...

 

[grimfox]

I'm in Massachusetts. I have the 150mbps plan, does that mean I'm do not have a cap? Even with that speed and a fair amount of streaming and downloading and videogaming we only use about 200gb a month...

Pretty sure you will have a cap unless you are using a business connection. Maybe not right away but I'd be very surprised if Comcast did not roll out a data cap to all customers before the end of next year. Why would they not put a cap on one of their customers when they could and reap overage fees or have that customer pay extra for unlimited access? It's win-win to them.