Comcast may roll out data caps for all customers within 5 yrs, thinks cord-cutters should pay more

[GoldenGlove]

How much porn u downloading?

I never cracked 150 in a month .

No porn, just streaming the NBA with Ballstreams

 

[Rarely-Wrong Liggins]

It's amazing how much these companies just insist on fukking people over for that extra 1% bump in their stock.

These pieces of shyt are making money like it's going out of style, yet that isn't good enough, they gotta go further and fukk people over in the process.

AMERICA fukk YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[satam55]

Comcast CMCSA -0.72% VP David Cohen predicts that the cable and media giant will move all of its broadband customers to usage-based billing plans within the next few years. at the MoffettNathanson Media & Communications Summit. Comcast is already experimenting with usage-billing models in some markets, with customers who pay for faster broadband speeds generally receiving a larger amount of data usage. For Comcast users in Atlanta, Maine and other select cities, the most common data cap currently stands at 300GB per month. Users who exceed this are charged (after an initial grace period) $10 extra for each additional 50GB of data usage.

The vast majority of cable customers fall far below this 300GB threshold. An FCC study conducted in 2012 showed a typical consumption rate of 40GB per month. Yet it’s easy to imagine that the figure has increased since then, with the rise of popular streaming shows like House of Cards and the growing popularity of streaming set-top boxes. And the upcoming onslaught of 4K streaming options will only increase data usage.

Among those who should definitely be concerned about overage charges right now are cord-cutters like myself, who have ditched a TV package in favor of a broadband-only service. In my four-person household, with Netflix NFLX -2.46%, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Prime subscriptions, we watch content on tablets, laptops, and desktop computers, in addition to a set-top box connected to our TV. Even with school and work hours restricting our home usage, we can still generate 200GB of usage per month and more, without much effort.

This screenshot shows the monthly broadband data usage from my four-person household as of early May.

Comcast’s proposed merger with Time Warner Cable TWC -0.59%, a move that would combine the nation’s No. 1 and No. 2 cable operators, is currently under review by both the U.S. Dept. of Justice and the FCC. Opponents of the merger highlight the fact that the deal would give Comcast control of 35% of the entire country’s broadband market. With cable and pay TV growth slowing, it’s expected that streaming services will continue to expand their reach with consumers. Comcast, while certainly trying to stem losses of video subscribers, is nonetheless looking for ways to keep the profits flowing if a significant number of consumers start to opt for broadband-only plans. And usage-billing is the most obvious approach. Comcast, its rather specious claims of cut-throat competition notwithstanding, could essentially say, Want to drop our TV service? Go ahead. But it’s going to cost you.

While Cohen argues for the fairness of heavy data users paying more, critics charge that Comcast is essentially double-dipping, as it already charges some content providers – most famously, Netflix – for faster access to its servers, ensuring buffer-free video delivery to Comcast users with Netflix subscriptions. In his statements, Cohen emphasized that, “we will always want [usage caps] at a sufficiently high level that the vast majority of our customers are not implicated by the usage-based billing plan.” Yet, he hedges this by saying that while he doesn’t want a model where customers are forced to buy different packages according to their usage, “five years ago I don’t know that I would have heard of something called an iPad. So, very difficult to make predictions.” While Cohen’s honesty is commendable, those are hardly reassuring words to those who are looking at streaming-only options as a way to save money on ever-increasing cable TV bills.

Comcast To Cord-Cutters: You Should Pay More - Forbes

 

[duncanthetall]

Comcast is truly the monocled, mustached twirling evil villain.

 

[Numpsay]

Are any of you even checking your usage before even complaining about this?

 

[Big Blue]

Yep. When you have regional monopolies it's just a matter of time.

 

[R.E.N. Spells Ren]

Shouldn't they be tho?

To be clear, I don't support Comcast, fukk them. Nor do I believe that making heavy users pay more will cause a trickle down in savings to more moderate users. I'm just saying, if we were to come up with a truly fair payment structure, wouldn't that involve people who use more paying for that privilege?

 

[King Sun]

DD unit

 

[duncanthetall]

Shouldn't they be tho?

To be clear, I don't support Comcast, fukk them. Nor do I believe that making heavy users pay more will cause a trickle down in savings to more moderate users. I'm just saying, if we were to come up with a truly fair payment structure, wouldn't that involve people who use more paying for that privilege?

Nah. fukk them

 

[satam55]

Shouldn't they be tho?

To be clear, I don't support Comcast, fukk them. Nor do I believe that making heavy users pay more will cause a trickle down in savings to more moderate users. I'm just saying, if we were to come up with a truly fair payment structure, wouldn't that involve people who use more paying for that privilege?

Be a lobbyist, breh.

 

[Poetical Poltergeist]

I have Comcast cuz dierectv be raping a dude. But.. Their TV menu and HD channel set up is wack as fukk. Seems like they would update shyt after all these years.

fukk em.

 

[R.E.N. Spells Ren]

Nah. fukk them

Be a lobbyist, breh.

Not sure why I thought nikkas could actually discuss a topic on here. My bad, brehs.

 

[Camile.Bidan]

seems fair too me. Why should I have to pay the same as these torrent pirates and Streaming hogs.

I use the internet for reading and maybe watch a youtube clip. I don't really watch TV, watch internet movies or play game online. I think these Lazy internet goons should pay for their vice honestly.

 

[STAN JONES]

They do pay more

Have you seen how much Comcast charges if you just get the internet

 

[GoldenGlove]

Shouldn't they be tho?

To be clear, I don't support Comcast, fukk them. Nor do I believe that making heavy users pay more will cause a trickle down in savings to more moderate users. I'm just saying, if we were to come up with a truly fair payment structure, wouldn't that involve people who use more paying for that privilege?

Everybody has the internet, why should I get punished because someone else doesn't know how to get their content the way that I do?