Customer Service

[i-am-nerdburg]

It's good advice to secure your network, but it's not always the case. You really can't compare your usage to anyone else since we all utilize the internet differently. The fact is, more people are hitting or exceeding the cap and more will continue to do so in the future. Switching to business class should not be necessary, particularly if you are not a business. Nothing changes other than the way Comcast does their paperwork anyhow ...and customers lose their bundle deals.

[Anon455406]

Nobody else is using our network. The closest neighbor is over 1500 feet away and my wireless is in my basement. My kids actually complaign because of the low wifi signals in their rooms. I use dd-wrt firmware on my router which allows me to watch the bandwidth usage so I can tell exactly who is using it. When you stream HD video it consumes large amounts of bandwidth. 2GB/hr times 3 kids gets you to 250GB pretty quick. Keep in mind Netflix will automatically "adjust" the stream bandwidth based on how big your pipe is so if your throughput is relatively low then you won't use as much per hour.

As far as the person using over 1TB/month I would suggest that someone is using a P2P service somewhere on their network. 

[K_pianogal]

What is a P2P service?  Interesting.....Yes, 1TB is a lot!   I agree that 250 is too low.  We have gone mildly over once, with no repercussions, but it happened SO quickly.  THe only NEW thing we started doing was internet radio.  So, we stopped that, and the usage is in our normal range.  I have no idea why internet radio would use SO much GB.  I agree netflix adds a tremendous amount of GB.  Some nights, I have seen my GB usage jump up by 6 or 8 GB in one evening....easy.    Without Netflix, just internet, we still use about 1-2 GB daily.

[K_pianogal]

Yes, I agree.......secure your network, but 250GB in today's times, is just way too low.   If you have to watch yourself monthly....it's too low!  It is nice to hear that other people are facing the same issues and using the internet responsibly and legally, yet STILL having to watch carefully. I have checked with 5 other companies though,(2 are not local), and all of them have a 250 cap as well.   I do know that until one of these companies increases their usage, and customers start leaving for the company with the increased cap......nothing is going to change.  So, for now, we are stuck.   

[Anon455406]

P2P is acronym for "peer to peer" service. It's a general term for "file sharing" services of which there are many. I actually use one once in a while called Shareaza to download "legal" files but the services are used mostly for illegally copying files (mostly music and porn). Long story short is these applications can use a large amount of bandwidth if they are not controlled. In particular if you see a large amount of "upload" compared to your "download" bandwidth then it's likely there is a P2P program running on your network. Usually your upload is 10% or less of your total network usage.

[getalifeplease]

i havent really taken the time to read through all this nerdy blah blah, but do understand capping because i work in technical support and deal with customers going over their data....their 5, 10 and 15 MB of data that is and i sometimes think they are ridiculous, but anyone who thinks that a 250 GB cap is ruining their family, they should probably consider a. getting a life b. spending more quality time with their family outside of electronics c. maybe get some ideas from their elders as to what they did before anyone ever even thought of capping data, or maybe even data for that matter and d. seek counseling for all of you if it's to the point of "ruining your family" because thats just absurd. 250 is extreeeeeemely generous considering i do tons of downloads, stream constantly, and lots of other things that i dont feel like sharing, all in all, i use a ton of data and have never even hit 100 GB. So if you're not running a business, which your clearly not otherwise you wouldnt have mentioned ruining your family, unless of course family business that is and in that case you must have frreakin huuuuge family. And in the famous words of Cheri Oteri (which i stream too) simmmmmmaaaaa doooooowwwwnnn naaaaaaa!!!!! hahaha okay rant is over

[K_pianogal]

perhaps the data used for buisness purposes, emails, etc., doesn't use as much GB as watching movies and playing games.......although, I do agree that the usage is WAY out there for  a family of 5.  We are a family of four, two teens who stream music, videos, watch netflix and play games online a lot, and two adults who stream videos, music, and watch netflix.  We are not game players!  This month so far, we are at 70GB so far, with 9 days left!    What's really, really weird is that we didn't increase our usage at all, and were actually minus a child for a month, and we actually went over for the first time EVER, right at 300GB....the first time in HISTORY with comcast.   We average about 120GB.   I suspect someone was hitching a ride on our router last month, and we took steps to eliminate any chance of that..   I am not sure if comcast slowed us down because we went over, but we are WAY under where we normally are......by almost half.  It's weird.   It does seem a bit slower too. 

[i-am-nerdburg]

My family of 5 pushes or exceeds the cap every month - since we cut the cable TV cord over two years ago. All of our TV needs are met by Netflix or on-line streaming. A couple hours of TV a day plus normal internet usage easily pushes the cap. We certainly aren't the only cord cutters out there...and the trend is growing.

[candytripn]

Anyone who thinks going over 250gb is hard (specifically the moron talking about an entire office on a t1 line.. how often are you allowed to use netflix, steam, pandora, or any other of the hundreds of streaming services at work) is a moron. Since getting my service I've have been over my cap by about 50gb a month, and I'm living alone.

First, trying to claim anyone over their cap is pirating is just down right retarded. You realize that getting even one game as a digital download (from the company's web site, through steam, etc) can set you back 20% of your cap?!? Yes, just buying World of Warcraft as a digital download is over 26gb! As pointed out, 1080p is the standard, so movies will often hit you at 6-10gb a pop. These are just two examples of how a normal user can chew through data in no time.

Most people use 2-4gb a month?!? Are you kidding me?!? So normal users don't use Netflix, or buy even one video game? I could write a novel on the amount of free to play games out in the internet now, many tipping well over 10gb, not including content updates, patches and data used while playing store bought games.

I'm a bit worried about my data, as I'm already over my cap 3 months in a row for my first 3 months, and I'm hardly even using it. I can't imagine summer when I get a break from school and I'm doing nothing but gaming and watching netflix, with nothing but sleep, a part time job and a small social life keeping my data down (which really doesn't, as it's during those times that I download updates, digital download games, music and movies from legit services, etc)

The bottom line is, this cap is just way too low. The only reason there are even caps are to stop services like Hulu and Netflix, which are making a direct impact on Cable (and services like att uverse).Don't you find it odd that me streaming Netflix for a few hours a day can "damage" other user's experience, but if I steamed Xfinity at 1080p all day all month, that wouldn't harm anyone at all? What about voip?

This really cracked me up.. from Comcast's page on the subject:

Am I at any risk of reaching the "excessive use" threshold?

It's unlikely given how most residential customers use the XFINITY Internet service. To put this usage in perspective, 250 GB is the equivalent of:

•  sending 50 million plain text emails;

•  downloading 62,500 songs (173 days worth of music);

•  uploading more than 25,000 high-resolution photos; or

•  streaming between about 100 to 800 hours of video (the range depends upon whether you're streaming studio-quality video or good-quality, standard-definition video, which have different bit rates depending upon the provider*).

So I can get 62,500 songs to fit into 250gb? Really, where did you get that number; Doc Brown traveled to the 90's to get terrible quality music? By my math, I'm only coming up to about 3,100 songs at 929kbps (apple lossless, there's better out there too)

What about Steam? One of the best options for people with kids who want games, many dirt cheap or flat out free (or just plain gamers)? The only thing in my steam folder is Star Trek Online and the Skyrim updates, and it's over 16gb, that's close to another 17% or so (off the top of my head) in less than an hour... just sad.

Online backups? Yeah, that's certainly not a service marketed at normal people who don't want to lose pictures and files due to not knowing how to properly protect their computer. I'd love to see C*ncast [had to edit my "Bad Word", lol, you're looking worse and worse as a company you know]  put on that page that you could back up roughly 1/2 of the data on a standard laptop and less than 1/4 of a starded destop hard drive (dell offers 1tb on the cheap low end $349 model).

Am I getting through to you yet? 250 is way too low for today's standard internet usage, let alone anyone who actually uses a computer.

**EDIT**

Funny, the question Do you offer usage tiers based on data usage? links to the "About excessive use of data" page, and yet that question is no where to be found on there.. hmm.

[Bulk001]

Of course it is about infarstructure - their lines cannot carry an unlimited amount of data (volume) at the fastest rates (speed) in all areas. If they spent some money putting in fiber optic lines etc. that would take care of both volume and speed issues. Instead they have chosen to not upgrade the infarstructure and instead limit how much customers can use and till they got caught out, they throttled some users speeds as well. 

[Bulk001]

+1 to your suggested solution. Then use the extra $5 to improve their system. 

[Shaynamalool]

i had the same 250g call after downloading games from steam cause my friend works for valvle and he gave me his steam account and he has every game on steam onlocked so i downloaded about 40-50 games and went to 400g. got a call from security saying they will shut my internet off if i go over it again. they need a 500g plan at least and a unlimited plan for more money something like that.

[i-am-nerdburg]

---

Bulk001 wrote:

Of course it is about infarstructure - their lines cannot carry an unlimited amount of data (volume) at the fastest rates (speed) in all areas. If they spent some money putting in fiber optic lines etc. that would take care of both volume and speed issues.

---

Comcast's system is already fiber - it's only copper for "the last mile" to your house. No network is designed to deliver 100% to all users 100% the time including fiber-to-the-home systems.

[likchan]

yep, i recently went way over my limit cap due to watching more stuff on Netflix and IPTV like Roku. I also download and play games on consoles and Steam and use iTunes for podcasts. This cap is dumb simply because there's no way to go to a higher tier with a higher cap.

anyways, i'll wait for the limit cap call since i don't plan on watching my usage for my regular usage. when that happens, i'll just switch to FiOs. Verizon has been very aggressive with deals and offers at my home so why not? i already canceled cable TV with Comcast this year for raising the prices again. canceling internet  with them is not an issue with me. i suggest OP do the same.

[pic620]

I would just like to let you know that you are not alone. I belong to a household that is a Tripple Play subscriber with an Extreme 50mbps. This month - I am backing up my entire computer's hardrive over the internet to a cloud company. This alone will knock out 100-something worth of our gig "allowance."

This is both a ridiculous term of service and bound to be either removed - or Comcast will lose alot of customers this coming decade. Get with the program here. 100 Gigs of data is nothing in the post-PC era. Netflix on every TV, Xbox Live, the Playstation Network, Downloading of HD movies, music, HD videogames - real, entire, videogames. And that doesnt include what's on your tablet or smartphone; how many tablets are in the house; how many videogame consols are in the house; how many smartphones are in the house; how many computers and laptops are in the house; how many TVs are connected to the internet in the house; etc. 

I'll tell you - there is a reason big families go for these large data tiers. It's because there's 3-5 iPads, 3-5 laptops or computers, 4-8 different types of gaming devices that connect to the interenet, at least 1 but probably more than one TV hooked up to the internet for Netflix or more, at least 100 Gigs in downloads a month alone.. from iTunes that is easy as pie. 

And craziest of all, with this giant push to move things to the cloud.... who does Comcast think is MOVING all that data from home to the cloud? You! Comcast!

Like I said, I'm backing up my Macbook Pro to Dolly Drive (great cloud hardrive backup for Macs) as I type this - and it's going to wipe out half of my so-called limit in just a day or two. 

What's even funnier?

Comcast has their own cloud backup service too.

And if anyone who wasn't computer illiterate actually used it, they'd be wiping out a lot of that "cap" as well.

Do you not see the irony of a company offering cloud backup services, that easily would eat a [real] tech user's bandwith limit up in mere days - and being the SAME company that imposes the limit in the first place?

Plus, with Comcast having such a big investment in entertainment - and they showing themselves not just WILLING to slow down specific sites and services, but went to court to fight for their right to do so and only stopped because of court ruling - how can I trust that this limit (which in 10 years time will be downright laughable) is not soley to discourage media consumption online, from iTunes purchases, and from Netflix?

Here's an idea.

How about Comcast switch its business model from, "Let's still use cable wiring because it grants us loopholes for content exclusivity," and, "We'll slow down the internet, limit the internet, and refuse Apple's offer to put their software and hardware in our cable boxes in order to cling on to a slowly but surely fading business and try to harm the upcoming one." - instead of being the first content provider to embrace the future so wholly, provide such internet based content, that the future is shaped by you. (I mean.. my god. When Apple came to you - CEOs, wherever you are - you had the chance of a lifetime. To partner with Apple. They would have made you the content provider of the future... But your failure to see that, is ultimately enough to show that leaders in the company don't yet have what it takes..)

Anyway. Comcast. Just know this: 

The future is on your doorstep. 

And it sure as heck (I have never said heck before in my life.. I feel so corny..) does not include bandwith limits, and especially not purposeful internet slowing.

[rberg1214]

Dude, over a TB a month?  That is ridiculous for any residential reason.  Maybe unplug for 5 minutes a day and spend time with real people face to face.  Seriously. 

[Vampir1c]

---

rberg1214 wrote:

Dude, over a TB a month?  That is ridiculous for any residential reason.  Maybe unplug for 5 minutes a day and spend time with real people face to face.  Seriously. 

---

You don't have to be on the computer to use data, you could have things downloading while your away. Also what about people like me where both of my parents were recently hospitalized and back home now on disability and all they can do is lay down and watch TV until their finished with rehabilitation. There using netflix constantly and they definitely do not know what a gigabyte is. This is great tho because even though it was a little difficult explaining the limitations and what a gigabyte is there all in for FiOS now.

[jimmyg665]

Here is the bottom line..Follow the money. You share the BW with your neighbors and there is a finite limit to the BW Comcast can provide. Conversely, there is an infinite desire on behalf of comcast to sign up as many customers as physically possible. In order to do that, they have to find ways to limit the legitimate use of consumers like you to make sure they can continue to offer their substandard service to more and more people to make more and more profit. I am as capitalistic as they come but even a used car dealer knows its time to stop selling cars once they no longer have cars available.

[Vampir1c]

Thats all great for comcast, as much as they want profit such a technologically ignorant company won't be able to keep its customer base with only monopolies. I've said it previous posts, FiOS is TRUELY UNLIMITED AND CHEAPER with faster speeds. FiOS is unfortuntately not available in every state and aside from FiOS, Google has begun implementing 1GBPS unlimited internet in Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri and we know how things just turn to gold when google touches it. Not to mention most of the newly opened threads in Customer Service are about how people are leaving. There only surviving due to people being uninformed, and monopolies of smaller areas. Once the options grow Comcast will either need to hire some new people with functioning brains or lose their place. 

[home123]

okay so I just found out about the data cap today....well I can't speek for past the 3 months that are displayed on the usage meter but in the last 3 months I have gone over the cap by at least 100gb a month on track to do it again....been with comcast for 11 years if I get a call from them at any point in time being mad will be an understatement. idea on our house hold use we have 2 smartphones, 2 ps3's, 1xbox360, 3pc's, 1 wii, and 2 streaming box's connected connected to the internet...I just wanted to add a comment as there's a couple people that seem to think its hard to use 100gb in a months time well there is only 3 of us in the house and one of us is turning 2 yrs old this month so that would be only 2 people useing the internet and well the wife is hardly ever on a computer normaly just watching vod services.....and yes we have lives, jobs, and spend lots of time playing outside there is normaly nothing being downloaded while we not in front of the device...oh yeah at the other thing these couple of smart people are saying yes my network is secure there is no one else useing it but us.

The data cap needs to be removed it should have never been put into place...

[jmcquadesr]

I myself have been all over comcast about this cap, Just to think I only have 3 machines and NO mobile devices... Just a active family online. Typically the first 2 weeks of the month we do what ever, final 2 weeks I start to pay attention, Last 3 days I usually say No to everything, or say OK to a thing or two. Just to stay under cap, So I'm no thought of as a excessive user. But I went and upgraded to the 50/10 For the machines SO we can get things a tad quicker. 

They need to base your bandwidth on the Tier your have purchased. 50/10 should have a heck of a LARGE bandwidth threshold! 

[i-am-nerdburg]

---

jmcquadesr wrote:

They need to base your bandwidth on the Tier your have purchased. 50/10 should have a heck of a LARGE bandwidth threshold! 

---

I agree 100%! I understand that the "average" user is not approaching the cap, but certainly those of us that pay extra for an Extreme tier are power users and we need a little more consideration from Comcast.

[Bulk001]

@ i am nerdberg- So are you saying in behalf of Comcast that anything more than 250 gigs a month is 100%,all the time? I doubt it. Besides who said 100 % usage (whatever that is) 100% of the time anyway? If you don't know what you are talking about or don't understand the issue being discussed, then maybe you should stop moderating coments.

[Vampir1c]

---

Bulk001 wrote:
@ i am nerdberg- So are you saying in behalf of Comcast that anything more than 250 gigs a month is 100%,all the time? I doubt it. Besides who said 100 % usage (whatever that is) 100% of the time anyway? If you don't know what you are talking about or don't understand the issue being discussed, then maybe you should stop moderating coments.

---

I believe he was talking about 100% usage as in consistent flow of data. He explained that no infrastructure is made to have constant flow of data every second without breaks. For example, depending on the speeds of your tier you can reach the 250GB limit within 5 hours of 100% consistant NON STOP USAGE at maximum speed, but no one really uses the internet like that unless their doing mass cloud backups. 

[Bulk001]

Thanks. His comment was just so random in terms of the thread about Comcast limiting customers at 250 gigs. No one here is asking for Comcast to deliver 100% of their capacity 100% of the time. People are asking for fair use access and in today's world, 250 is just not enough and to get kicked off and banned for a year (or whatever they do) is just rediculous.

[i-am-nerdburg]

---

Bulk001 wrote:
@ i am nerdberg- So are you saying in behalf of Comcast that anything more than 250 gigs a month is 100%,all the time? I doubt it. Besides who said 100 % usage (whatever that is) 100% of the time anyway? If you don't know what you are talking about or don't understand the issue being discussed, then maybe you should stop moderating coments.

---

I'm not speaking on behlaf of Comcast. And thanks for the input, I'll try and brush up on the issues before I comment on them. Silly me.

[MangyMoose]

Ugh.  No torrents, no massive file downloads.

Using mostly E*Trade Market Pro for daily stock streaming, and I work at home (VPN to main office) and receive a lot of data from there (doing patent searches which can retreive a lot of images), the wife/daughter have also discovered Hulu and Roku, and the normal day-to-day web browsing.

The 250GB limit is not conducive to the internet-based applications we have access to today.  

[Vampir1c]

---

MangyMoose wrote:

Ugh.  No torrents, no massive file downloads.

Using mostly E*Trade Market Pro for daily stock streaming, and I work at home (VPN to main office) and receive a lot of data from there (doing patent searches which can retreive a lot of images), the wife/daughter have also discovered Hulu and Roku, and the normal day-to-day web browsing.

The 250GB limit is not conducive to the internet-based applications we have access to today.  

---

Wow I'm sorry to hear that MangyMoose, its only half of the month too. It's pathetic that paying customers as our selves have to deal with this greedy ignorance of Comcast. I will admit when I signed up with Comcast which was in 2008 I knew about the 250GB limit and knew I would never reach that much data. But that was back then and now just as you have shown, there's no need for massive file downloads, torrents, etc to reach the cap effortlessly today.

[MangyMoose]

...and I am dropping close to $100/month for 50 Mbs down to ensure enough bandwidth for the office connection. 

Seriously - 350 GB/month would be reasonable. 

[samcmcitp]

I totally agree with you.  The days of a single family computer are gone.  At my house, I have many devices that streams, downloads and play games.  I have to constantly watch my usage.  This is unfair to have to pay a premium price for service but being fenced on usage.

In my opinion, they invested so much in the business class side that by enforcing a residental cap wll make customers upgrade. This will be a $40 to $50 inrease.  In my area, Comcast is the only provider so customers like myself will have to abide by the rule, upgrade to business class or do without Internet.

Thank you for posting the cap problem. If more customers would do the same, Comcast would get out of the mid-90s and drop this silly cap.

Sam
Microsoft Certified IT Professional

[MangyMoose]

Only 50 MB to go.

[jagr200]

I'm at 245 for the month. Most of my usage is 2 computers for Netflix, 2 xboxs with netflix, and an apple tv. I also have a Mac Mini that is setup as a media server and I routinely access it while out and about to watch shows or access files.

Let me know what happens when you hit the cap MangyMoose. I anticipate I will hit the cap tonight or tomorrow morning.

I'm also in the Seattle area. Where are you located? 

[jagr200]

I forgot to mention that I am also a heavy gamer. 

[i-am-nerdburg]

---

jagr200 wrote:

Let me know what happens when you hit the cap MangyMoose. I anticipate I will hit the cap tonight or tomorrow morning.

---

Nothing will happen when you hit the cap. If you exceed the cap enough that it's a problem, you'll get a call from Comcast.

[jagr200]

---

i-am-nerdburg wrote:

---

jagr200 wrote:

Let me know what happens when you hit the cap MangyMoose. I anticipate I will hit the cap tonight or tomorrow morning.

---

Nothing will happen when you hit the cap. If you exceed the cap enough that it's a problem, you'll get a call from Comcast.

---

So if I hit 350 or so I should be ok? I've HEAVELY cut back on my internet useage for the time being. But after cutting cable it is hard because we watch all of our media online now.

[i-am-nerdburg]

A lot of users have reported going over by 100GB and not hearing from Comcast. But the limit is 250GB and Comcast can enforce that if they feel like it. Generally they don't strictly enforce the limit.

[jagr200]

Ok. Thats good to hear. Because I'm now over 250gb. If they decide to enforce it you can bet I will be canceling my service the day they call. My service is far from good for the money I pay and there are plenty of options for me to choose from.

[Harpya]

Hi there,

I am pretty new to Comcast and just had an interesting discovery regarding the Data Usage meter.

It - kindof - CHEATS!

My setup:

-PC and Notebook with Steam - downloading and playing Online games like Team Fortress 2 which uses about 110 MB per hour.

-PS 3 with netflix

- A/V Receiver with Pandora

- iPhone with Cloud backup.

Note: Nothing usually runs at the same time, aside from the occasional Netflix by my spouse while I am on the PC.

I got my service in the second half of March. Found out about the cap only afterwards, and was surprised how fast the meter went up.

Now this is what happened:

Last night - March 31st - I decided to use some of the monthly allowance for March to download a few Steam games. I quit doing that - and any other internet usage as far as I can tell - at 11 p.m.

When I logged back onto my computer at 1 a.m. April 1st. the Comcast meter read that I had used already 5 GB for April!!

I chatted with support for one hour, trying to explain the inexplainable. Of course without getting any useful answer except their standard replies (every traffic counts towards your usage, secure your network, blabla - all things I considered of course, and my network is WPA2 secured with a recently changed password etc.).

Not only did I not use the net. Since Comcast also states that the usage meter is not realtime and may be delayed for up to three hours, it should not have shown anything for April at 1 am. Unless - and this would be "cheating" - it counts the last three hours of March and just pulls them over into April!!!

The chat-agent asked me to call their special department on Monday. I will keep you posted.

Regards,

Chris

PS:

This morning, I log onto my computer again, and now my data usage is at 25 GB!! I am totally

shocked. My niece who is visiting (no laptop, no smartphone) has been watching Netflix for 90 minutes in the morning, but that could not add another 20 GB to the already mysterious 5 GB from 1 am...

And all machines were definitely off during the night. Except the modem of course a Motorola SB 6120.

Maybe I should quit Comcast and use their 30 day money back guarantee...

[commanguy]

Harpya

Do you use a wireless router? If so is it password protected? If not anyone within range of your router can use your connection and add to your useage.

Also the meter is usually about 3 hours behind; so when you log off it won't update immediately.

[jskiles1]

---

commanguy wrote:

Harpya

Do you use a wireless router? If so is it password protected? If not anyone within range of your router can use your connection and add to your useage.

Also the meter is usually about 3 hours behind; so when you log off it won't update immediately.

---

Please re-read his post. He clearly states that he has a secure router with recently changed passwords. 3 hours does not account for a 20 GB jump in data.

[commanguy]

Sorry missed that.

Thanks

[CCCarole]

Remember that the data usage meter resets at midnight universal time at the end of the month and that usage report may be delayed by three hours. 0 UT is 19 EST (five hours ahead of east coast US); 7pm Eastern. So roughly any traffic after sometime this afternoon/evening will be counted in February not January.       Don't try to squeeze in just a few more big downloads by the end of the month. That approach is probably counterproductive. You might be "rewarded" with a big dent in your February usage.       It doesn't appear that Comcast is strictly enforcing the 250 GB data usage limit.

    However, you might want to sign the petition asking that they seriously reconsider the 250 GB cap:   http://www.change.org/petitions/comcast-cable-rais​e-or-eliminate-the-data-usage-cap

Thanks to Beth for posting this information

You may want to read the posts made by Beth in this Thread as well.

http://forums.comcast.com/t5/Connectivity-and-Modem-Help/Reminder-about-data-usage-meter-reset/m-p/1...

CC

[Harpya]

Thank you for the replies.

That actually explains at least most of it to me. I still feel kind of cheated now since this is something they should clearly state. "The end of the month" should be a local thing not a somewhat abstract timezone far away...

It is somewhat anachronistic to be forced to watch limited online ressources in 2012, just like in the early nineties when we had timed dial-up connections. The step to Comcast clearly was a step backwards.

Fortunately, there is RCN available at my place, and they do not have a data cap. We will see...

Regards,

Chris

PS: I wonder what happened to the OP regarding this matter?

[Bulk001]

@ lophat who wrote:

When you created your account you agreed to the Acceptable Use Policies. Whether you chose to read them was up to you.

See here: http://www.comcast.com/Corporate/Customers/Policies/HighSpeedInternetAUP.html

Look under: III. Network Management and Limitations on Data Consumption

---

I had comcast a long time before they implemented the cap. Good thing is that I do have options where I live and if they were to ever give me a warning I would just drop them. And do the same at my business where we have even better options. I think that this is why they are not strictly enforcing the cap unless you go way over for a sustained period of time like the person who started this thead - it costs them more money to get new clients than the cost of supplying a couple hundred more gigs a month and Comcast may be open to antitrust oversight because of their majority ownership stake in NBC and they don't want people flooding the Feds with compliants even if it is only tangently related. 

[jd1122]

i have been a customer of comcast for over 15 years,the 250 gb monthly cap was fine 4 or 5 years ago but not today.my new comcast bill runs a little over 200 per month.i build computers and never had any major issues with comcast internet service, in fact the speeds are great,the problem as i see it is i have most of the premiumn channels and recentley grabbed a blu ray player and started streaming netflix.the main reason was comcast's premiumn channels look like the same programs running week after week.it is a better option for me and my family to just stream netflix for under 8 dollars a month.i tryied to call comcast and ask about the cap resrtictions but got fed up with being on hold for 35 minutes.it seems to me if comcast cares at all about there customers they would either put better programs on there schedule so that there would be no need to use any other service,or at least raise the outdated cap limit and let customers enjoy the great download speed that comcast brags so much about,when my cable bill starts to exceed my main utility bill it might be time to just slim down my service.just my opinion

[jagr200]

Well I used a total of 318gbs last month. Nobody has called yet to say anything. So far this month I have used 50gbs. All I've done this month is some netflix and TONS of xbox. haha

[plsnotifyadmin]

The real problem is that the "One-Size-Fits-All" 250 GB cap does not make sense. That cap is very generous for customers that have the entry level Internet service. A neighbor has 1.5 Mbps Comcast Internet; she will NEVER go over the 250 GB limit in a month. Another friend has the 105 Mbps Comcast Internet. He pays a lot more for that added speed, but he still has that same 250 GB monthly limit. How dumb is that??? If Comcast offered terabit speed residential service would that same 250 GB monthly limit still apply??? 

[Jeriku]

I recently switched back to comcast after having a few years horrible service with Cavalier DSL, and being enticed by the $29 Performance tier (20MB dl). I will accept that I didn't not read the terms of service completely and missed the fact that there is a 250GB cap. However, something like that should be listed front and center with the package details.....obviously they don't want to call attention to that or people would pass them by. I know I would have...I'd have gone right to Fios and still may if I get a call. It's now 4/9 and I've used 102GB / 40% of my bw. That is using Netflix only. I am a binge Netflixer, watching a few hours every night. I cut my TV wire about 2 years ago, and Phone when I switched to Comcast.

I would hope that this cap gets lifted or raised, else Comcast may lose me yet again.

[OOBERRAMPAGE]

this is not an infrastructure issue...since the cap has been put in place, out of my central office with docsis 3, they are putting 8 times the downstream capacity per node and 6 times the upstream capacity. yet we are still limited to the same data cap? even on my docsis 2 modem which is limited to a single upstream and downstream channel, i still see no congestion issues whatsoever and i live in a neighborhood full of nerds ( as i am myself ).even if you werent talking about last mile infrastructure, comcast is using entirely 40 gigabit fiber optic cabling for all backbone transfer, as is verizon with all them fios and dsl customers, even frontier with their fios offering is only running on 20 gigabit connections with no slowdowns whatsoever ( aside from over congested dslams, which is why i always recommend comcast to people if fios isnt available at their location and they need the bandwidth). as you can see this isnt a capacity issue and they are just trying to protect what rakes in the dough, XFINITY tv. 

p.s. if your wondering where i got that 6 times the upstream capacity from, its from the upgrade from docsis 1.1 which gives a usable throughput of 9 mbps, to docsis 3 which offers a usable throughput of 27 mbps. thats 3 times the transfer capacity. and we are currently on two channels, so 2 multiplied by 3 equals 6.

[OOBERRAMPAGE]

same here with the fios offerings killer deals, except im through frontier, but still, 35/35 connection for 57 a month? good luck getting that from comcast