AT&T Implementing Data Caps

[morgs]

DailyTech reports

Looks like New Zealand is leading the world!

If you are an AT&T DSL or U-Verse customer and just so happen to be an extreme data hog, your reign of terror will soon be over. DSL Reports is indicating that AT&T plans to implement new data caps on customers starting May 2 (notices will be sent to customers between March 18 and March 31).

The data caps will be set at 150GB for DSL customers and 250GB for U-Verse customers. As somewhat of a token gesture to customers, the bandwidth limit can be exceeded twice over the life of your account without ill effect. However, overage fees will be put in place upon the third time that your monthly data allotment is exceeded.

Overage fees will be $10 for every 50GB that you go over the limit. However, AT&T will send notices to customers at the 65, 90, and 100 percent data cap thresholds, so there should be no excuse for customers to not know when they are approaching their monthly limits.

AT&T already imposes data limits on its wireless plans, so this move to landline data connections should come as no surprise. Like its wireless data caps, AT&T cites a small minority of customers that hog a disproportionate amount of bandwidth.

"The top 2 percent of residential subscribers uses about 20 percent of the bandwidth on our network," said AT&T in a statement to Engadget. "Just one of these high-traffic users can utilize the same amount of data capacity as 19 typical households."

If you're used to an all-you-can-eat buffet when it comes to online video streaming services like Netflix or Hulu, it looks as though those days are slowly coming to an end.

 

[Krynn72]

As far as bandwidth caps go, at least its better than Comcast's. I mean, 150 gigs isn't better, but at least they notify you when you're approaching it, and don't charge you that much for going over.

Still, this is why I hate corporations that have no small business competition.

 

[Mogi67]

Such bullshit

 

[Raziaar]

We're in the modern age assholes, not the early 90's... unless someone is grossly going beyond what is reasonable, data caps are atrocious. So much shit from youube videos to game downloads and game patches are astronomically high in bandwidth consumption. Legitimate shit.

 

[StardogChampion]

"The top 2 percent of residential subscribers uses about 20 percent of the bandwidth on our network," said AT&T in a statement to Engadget. "Just one of these high-traffic users can utilize the same amount of data capacity as 19 typical households."

Then those 19 typical households aren't using it enough.

 

[morgs]

We're in the modern age assholes, not the early 90's... unless someone is grossly going beyond what is reasonable, data caps are atrocious. So much shit from youube videos to game downloads and game patches are astronomically high in bandwidth consumption. Legitimate shit.

Games are the worst for me. I have a 20G cap per month which means buying games on steam is going to cost me an extra $20 just to pay for the extra bandwidth I need to keep going for the rest of the month.

 

[Ren.182]

150GB is quite a lot, a lot more than some of the caps that some companies put in place.

I like Virgin Media's solution, if you download a certain amount within a certain time period (It's about 6 hours or so) they cut your download speed by 75%. Least it stops people hogging bandwidth downloading all day. The lowered speeds don't kick in overnight either so you can download as much as you want overnight. No monthly caps either

 

[Naph]

I get unmetered with steam on our cap. Unmetered to the point where it's only 2kb/s :l

 

[lord_raken]

What do you bet that as soon as they implement the cap they will start investing in FINALY upgrading the infrastructure but keep the caps?

 

[Schall]

This is not going to last long at all. I'm on AT&T and everyone that I know who is on AT&T is going to switch over to something else when the caps kick in. I'll give them a month.

 

[Danimal]

wtf I've had data caps like my whole life.

 

[morgs]

We as countries are revolutionaries in this.

 

[Kitfox]

wow thats better then we get here in canadia
I get 60 gigs a month (40$) and have to pay 2 dollars for every gigabyte i go over up to a max of 50$.

 

[Avoidist]

Now the rest of the world can feel our pain!

Although I now have a cap of 100GB and rarely go over 50. But I've spent years going from a 10GB cap, to a 20, and lastly a 30GB cap and being careful each time not to break the limit until the last day.

And our speed and coverage is still pretty shit 'til they implement the NBN.

 

[Krynn72]

Honestly, caps aren't that bad if they're set reasonably and increase as demand does. My family has a 250 gig cap that we've never even gotten close to. Well, I think once, around christmas we did because everybody was home (6 people) using the internet, plus I bought several games on steam, my brother bought several as well. But soon sites will start offering 1080p streaming for full movies and tv shows, so they'll need to increase the cap as soon as that happens.

 

[Bad^Hat]

Honestly, just be glad you don't have to pay out the nose for anything over (or in some cases approaching) 50gb. ISPs here consider anything over 80 a "business plan." ****ers.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

I'm on Verizon DSL, hoping to get FIOS soon, I hope to shit there isn't a cap on that ever.

 

[ríomhaire]

I have a 30GB cap.

 

[Warped]

http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/20/atandt-agrees-to-buy-t-mobile-from-deutsche-telekom/
AT&T just bought T-Mobile