AT&T to try limits on monthly Internet traffic

[AmericaLovesCrap]

AT&T Inc. (ATT), the country's largest Internet service provider, is testing the idea of limiting the amount of data that subscribers can use each month.

AT&T will initially apply the limits in Reno, Nev., and see about extending the practice elsewhere.

Increasingly, Internet providers across the country are placing such limits on the amount of data users can upload and download each month, as a way to curb a small number of "bandwidth hogs" who use a lot of the network capacity. For instance, 5 percent of AT&T's subscribers take up 50 percent of the capacity, spokesman Michael Coe said Tuesday.

My Way News - AT&T to try limits on monthly Internet traffic

[fm8418]

I have timewarner roadrunner which sucks but I would probably fall under that 5 percent.

[Dobber2330]

So what?? DO you download more than 30 movies a month from Netflix??

For 99% of users this is a non issue

[fm8418]

yea netflix.... busy month I probably used 100+gb a month

[pskell02]

I'm saving you from yourself --MOD

[mightbe]

Yeah, this is a load of crap. Even on the highest DSL tier the limit is "only" 80 GB/month. I had Comcast for years since they were excite@home until about 2 years ago when I got the call from their "network abuse hotline." I went with AT&T dsl (which sucks because it's slower, but had no limits until whenever they make the caps nationwide).

However, I recently learned that Comcast doesn't enforce their caps if you get their business connection so I'm looking into that.

[AmericaLovesCrap]

Originally Posted by mightbe

Yeah, this is a load of crap. Even on the highest DSL tier the limit is "only" 80 GB/month. I had Comcast for years since they were excite@home until about 2 years ago when I got the call from their "network abuse hotline." I went with AT&T dsl (which sucks because it's slower, but had no limits until whenever they make the caps nationwide).

However, I recently learned that Comcast doesn't enforce their caps if you get their business connection so I'm looking into that.

I use a business connection through RoadRunner (Time Warner).. They don't cap me, and if they do, I'll switch faster than you can say zippity Doo Dah.. Once they start telling us how much we can download, then they'll start telling us what we can download, when we can download, which forums we can visit, etc.. It's all about control and managing it as a commodity.

It's all inevitable though.. It's not a matter of if the government controls the net, it's when.