SOB Comcast did it to me!!!

[Broni]

Today, I received following email:

Dear Comcast High-Speed Internet Customer,

We appreciate your business and strive to provide you with the best online experience possible. One of the ways we do this is through our Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). The AUP outlines acceptable use of our service as well as steps we take to protect our customers from things that can negatively impact their experience online. This policy has been in place for many years and we update it periodically to keep it current with our customers' use of our service.

On October 1, 2008, we will post an updated AUP that will go into effect at that time.

In the updated AUP, we clarify that monthly data (or bandwidth) usage of more than 250 Gigabytes (GB) is the specific threshold that defines excessive use of our service. We have an excessive use policy because a fraction of one percent of our customers use such a disproportionate amount of bandwidth every month that they may degrade the online experience of other customers.

250 GB/month is an extremely large amount of bandwidth and it's very likely that your monthly data usage doesn't even come close to that amount. In fact, the threshold is approximately 100 times greater than the typical or median residential customer usage, which is 2 to 3 GB/month. To put it in perspective, to reach 250 GB of data usage in one month a customer would have to do any one of the following:

* Send more than 50 million plain text emails (at 5 KB/email);
* Download 62,500 songs (at 4 MB/song); or
* Download 125 standard definition movies (at 2 GB/movie).

And online gamers should know that even the heaviest multi- or single-player gaming activity would not typically come close to this threshold over the course of a month.

In addition to modifying the excessive use policy, the updated AUP contains other clarifications of terms concerning reporting violations, newsgroups, and network management. To read some helpful FAQs, please visit http://help.comcast.net/content/faq/Frequently-Asked-Questions-about-Excessive-Use.

Thank you again for choosing Comcast as your high-speed Internet provider.

At Comcast web site, it says:

What will happen if a customer exceeds 250 GB of data usage in a month?

The vast majority - more than 99% - of Comcast customers will not be impacted by a 250 GB monthly bandwidth or data usage threshold. If a customer exceeds more than 250 GB and is one of the heaviest data users who consume the most data on our high-speed Internet service, he or she may receive a call from Comcast's Customer Security Assurance ("CSA") group to notify them of excessive use. At that time, Comcast will tell the customer exactly how much data per month he or she had used.

If a customer surpasses 250 GB and is one of the top users of the service for a second time within a six-month timeframe, his or her service will be subject to termination for one year. After the one year period expires, the customer may resume service by subscribing to a service plan appropriate to his or her needs.

I just read the above mail, so I'm still munching on it. Pissed off, that's for sure.

[patio]

I knew it was only a matter of time...

[Broni]

I'm all so pissed off. I can't type. I'm gonna think clearly, later.

[evilfantasy]

The question is, will the 250 GB/month effect you?

I know from a contractual standpoint it doesn't matter because that isn't what you signed up for and that isn't what I'm getting at. Just curious to know what would you rather happen.

1. Your rates raised so they can upgrade their entire network and accommodate those this effects.
2. A bandwidth cap put in place.

They've made it clear for some time something is going to happen.

[Broni]

The question is, will the 250 GB/month effect you?

Not really, but that's not the point. This is about principle:
UNLIMITED Internet
Since I care a lot about principles, I hope some civil action suit will follow.

Greed: you give them a finger, soon, they'll ask for a whole hand.
You know how it goes, don't you?

Just curious to know what would you rather happen.

None.

[Computer Hope Admin]

So where did you get the e-mail, your Comcast e-mail account? I wonder what they'll do for people like me who haven't checked their Comcast e-mail account once since signing up for Comcast over 5 years ago.

[Broni]

Yeah, through Comcast account.
I posted, what they'll do to you

[Aegis]

What if you wrote to Comcast, explained your activities, and asked for their suggestions as to what you should do?

[Broni]

I'm sane, yet

[mcxeb52!]

If you're gonna complain about the problems caused by the 250gb monthly limit, then stop subscribing to Comcast and get a different ISP!

[Aegis]

If you're gonna complain about the problems caused by the 250gb monthly limit, then stop subscribing to Comcast and get a different ISP!

...and which ISP would you suggest to match cable speed / bandwidth?

[Computer Hope Admin]

...which is the only reason Comcast is able to do this because there isn't competition.

[Aegis]

Don't let me get myself started! 

The only advantage of the Bell System divestiture from 24 years ago is that long distance is cheap or free -- but I'll let you in a little "secret" from back in those days:  long distance rates subsidized local rates.

Oh, and we now have fewer phone companies than we did during the days of the Bell System...

[Broni]

...which is the only reason Comcast is able to do this because there isn't competition.

That's it. I thought, there is some law against monopoly.

In any case, I'll be checking out Astound. As far, as I can say, I see no limits there, and prices are similar as with Comcast



[recovering disk space -- attachment deleted by admin]

[Aegis]

That's it. I thought, there is some law against monopoly.

In theory, yes. In reality, companies are allowed to "buy out" each other rather than truly compete against one another.  I'm waiting for Verizon to buy at&t.