metered-broadband

Ways To Avoid Hitting AT&T's New Bandwidth Caps
Like suddenly cool again hypercolor shirts, AT&T has brought back another retro trend back from the dead - metered bandwidth with charges for overages. The ISP yesterday imposed a 150 GB a month cap on all DSL customers. If you go over it more than three times in your account lifetime, you will get a $10 charge for every 50 GB in excess. U-verse customers will have a 250 GB cap. Ah, nostalgia, it feels just like Compuserve all over again! So how do you go on a bandwidth diet? More »

Comcast's Xfinity Extreme 105: Pay More To Reach Download Cap Even Faster
Today, our friends at Comcast announced their new tier of Comcastically fast broadband service in 40 metropolitan areas. It promises speeds of up to 105 Mbps. Zoom! The future is here. So, with that zippy download speed, Xfinity Extreme get higher download caps, right? More »

Comcast Shuts Off Customer's Internet Access For Phantom Data Usage
Jodi writes that while she doesn't agree with Comcast's habit of turning off customers' Internet access due to "excessive usage," while she's their customer, she intends to play by their rules. This would be a lot easier if her usage meter didn't indicate that her household used more bandwidth than should have been technically feasible. More »

ISPs Threaten Metered Broadband As Net Neutrality Looms

—>Remember when you called up your ISP and, after an unholy modem screech, were billed for every minute you spent online? (Actually, it occurs to me that many Consumerist readers probably don't remember this.) If ISPs' current efforts pay off, we may all soon be paying for every little byte of Internet that we use.  More »

Time Warner's Revised Subscriber Agreement Allows For Consumption Based Billing

—>Time Warner has revised their Subscriber Agreement to lay the legal foundation needed to implement consumption based billing, including usage caps, tiered rate plans, overlimit fees, and speed throttling. Though Time Warner's metered broadband plans lie in shambles after a barely-averted run in with Congress' legislative mace, the cable giant clearly has no intention of letting such a potentially massive cash cow escape from the paddock. Inside, the dangerous new legalese that may soon appear in teeny tiny print on your next Time Warner bill.  More »

Metered Broadband A Necessity? TWC's Financial Statements Don't Think So

—>Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports and parent company to Consumerist, took a look at TWC's most recent financial statements and couldn't find any evidence that they "needed" to switch to metered broadband. In fact, TWC's costs have dropped even as they added subscribers.  More »

Time Warner Shuts Off Heavy User's Account With No Warning

—>While they've temporarily shelved metered broadband plans, Time Warner is cutting off, with no warning, the accounts of customers who they deem have used too much bandwidth. One such customer lives in Austin, TX, one of the original markets slated for metered broadband. Stop The Cap has the story, and an excerpt is inside.  More »

TWC Delays Metered Broadband Test So They Can "Educate" A "Vocal Minority"

—>Anti-metered broadband advocates are rejoicing today as TWC admitted defeat and delayed its plan to expand metered broadband to Rochester, NY.  More »

Time Warner Cable Caps Metered Broadband Overage Fees At $75

—>Time Warner Cable, sensitive to the public outcry about metered broadband, has tweaked its policy — capping overage fines at $75. Does this make it all better?  More »

New York Representative Goes After Time Warner's Metered Broadband

—>Rochester, NY is one of the expanded test areas for TWC's new metered broadband program, (along with Austin & San Antonio, TX, and Greensboro, NC.) The people of Rochester are especially upset about the change, including their representative, Eric Massa, who had strong words for Time Warner.  More »

Is Metered Broadband Designed To Keep You From Ditching Cable TV?

—>Om Malik is beginning to suspect that "metered broadband" may be less about bad, evil P2P and more about competing video download services.  More »