Comcast outlines plan for data caps

Comcast has unveiled plans to limit the amount of data its broadband users can receive.

The company said that its cable internet users would be limited to 250GB of data transfers per month from October.

Comcast claimed that heavy traffic can slow speeds for multiple users because cable modem users share a common local line.

The caps will prevent one user from slowing download speeds for everyone in the neighbourhood, according to the company.

"We have listened to feedback from our customers who asked that we provide a specific threshold for data usage [that] would help them understand the amount of usage that would qualify as excessive," Comcast explained.

"250GB per month is an extremely large amount of data, much more than a typical residential customer uses on a monthly basis."

In order to hit the 250GB cap, Comcast estimates that a user would have to send 50 million emails, or download 62,500 songs or 125 standard definition movies.

The caps come in the wake of a battle with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over the techniques Comcast uses to regulate traffic.

The case received worldwide attention and was widely viewed as one of the first tests of net neutrality.

After initially denying any reports of throttling traffic, the company admitted that it routinely limits the amount of bandwidth it offers to certain applications.

Comcast's actions caught the attention of the FCC, which later ordered the company to end the practice.

The firm ultimately agreed and avoided any further action from the FCC.

See also:

EFF releases ISP-checking tool

'Switzerland' lets users probe for net neutrality  04 Aug 2008

FCC votes to punish Comcast

Vote goes against customer throttling  29 Jul 2008

New York threatens Comcast over child porn

Sign up or we'll sue, says Attorney General  24 Jul 2008

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