When I read this, I hate Comcast more than ever:
Flat home internet fees from Comcast could soon be a thing of the past — and people who use a lot of data should consider themselves on notice. Do you watch Netflix all day? Do you play video games for hours? Stream TV? Then listen up.
Comcast is rolling out a trial program to add new fees for Internet subscribers who exceed 300 GB of data per month. The fee will be $10 for every 50 GB in data that’s over the threshold. Or they can pay $30 per month to get unlimited Internet service with no data caps.
It's likely Comcast's response to the slew of new products hitting the market that take up big-time bandwidth. (Heck, a new Apple TV was launched yesterday.) Comcast Vice President David Cohen hinted at the move in a 2014 earnings call when he said he expects "usage-based billing" to reach all Comcast customers within five years.
While the trial doesn't impact the Philadelphia region, the following locations are affected: Huntsville and Mobile, Ala.; Tucson, Ariz.; Fort Lauderdale, the Keys and Miami, Fla.; Atlanta, Augusta and Savannah, Ga.; Central Kentucky; Maine; Jackson and Tupelo, Miss.; Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville, Tenn.; and Charleston, S.C.
Comcast won't charge you for the first three times you exceed 300 GB, and will send you a courtesy ‘in-browser’ notice and an email letting you know when you reach 90 percent, 100 percent, 110 percent and 125 percent of your monthly data usage plan amount. Isn't that nice. You can also elect to receive notifications at 50 percent, 60 percent, 70 percent and 80 percent of your monthly plan.
Time to stock up on the DVDs!
