broadband caps

AT&T Begins Sending Throttling Warnings to Top Data Hogs

Lindsy Embree — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 10:55:37 -0400

Full article: Wired
Christina Bonnington
Following a trend set by other carriers, AT&T has begun sending SMS warning messages to the top 5 percent of data users on its network. The message alerts consumers that they are among AT&T's top 5 percent that billing period, and suggests they use Wi-Fi to avoid reduced data speeds in the future.

Suddenlink Gears Up for Broadband Caps, Overage Fees

Lindsy Embree — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 10:45:09 -0400

Full article: Multichannel News
Todd Spangler
Suddenlink Communications is planning to introduce bandwidth limits and overage charges for broadband subscribers — similar to those imposed by AT&T this summer — starting with its Amarillo, Texas.

France Telcos Want to Implement Bandwidth Caps on Broadband Users

Lindsy Embree — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 10:21:56 -0400

Full article: Fierce Telecom
Sean Buckley
Canadian and U.S.-based broadband providers aren't the only service providers thinking about usage based billing as three of France's largest ISPs are all looking at how they can put caps on currently unlimited broadband use.

Tiered Data Plans Still Unfair for Many Subscribers

Lindsy Embree — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 09:15:10 -0400

Full article: Electronista
A new study suggests that many wireless subscribers are still unfairly charged for data usage despite the implementation of tiered data plans.

To Cap, or Not

Lindsy Embree — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 09:47:26 -0400

Full article: New York Times
Experts expect broadband caps to become more popular, and as they do, the FCC should seek to understand how effective they are at relieving congestion and what effect they have on services that rival Internet providers’ in-house offerings, like video. And it should keep an eye on whether caps respond to network efficiency gains and capacity increases. Caps must not impede development of broadband.

Cable Giants Seek to Limit Internet Streaming, Slow Netflix

Lindsy Embree — Tue, 31 May 2011 12:08:25 -0400

Full article: The Wrap
Joshua L. Weinstein
Just as more and more American consumers are joining the streaming-video party, and using more bandwidth because of that, their Internet service providers -- many of which, by no coincidence, also run large cable TV operations -- are getting set to cap the fun.

AT&T Caps Not That Generous After All

Lindsy Embree — Thu, 19 May 2011 10:48:24 -0400

Full article: GigaOM
Janko Roettgers
AT&T said that its average DSL subscriber only uses 18 GB of data per month when it announced its 125 GB cap earlier this year, and the company's spokesperson Mark Siegel even called the caps "generous." But new data suggests the caps are not that generous after all.

Netflix Traffic Now Bigger than BitTorrent -- Has Hollywood Won?

Lindsy Embree — Tue, 17 May 2011 14:08:08 -0400

Full article: GigaOM
Ryan Lawler
The amount of Netflix data that is passed over ISP networks continues to grow, with its streaming service now making up more North American Internet traffic than even BitTorrent file sharing. While that might seem like a win for Hollywood studios that have spent the last several years fighting piracy, the traffic growth also comes at a time when ISPs are introducing bandwidth caps that could constrain Netflix streaming.

Put a Cap on It

Lindsy Embree — Tue, 17 May 2011 12:13:11 -0400

Full article: The Economist
The erosion of a market is never a pretty thing to watch, especially in places in which de facto or de jure monopolies prevent competitors from entering the fray on equal terms. American internet providers are fighting a losing, rearguard action even with the odds stacked in their favour. The trickle of video has become a torrent. Capping it may soon be impossible.

Moffett: AT&T Caps Herald 'Next Generation of Communications'

Lindsy Embree — Mon, 16 May 2011 12:32:30 -0400

Full article: Broadband Reports
Karl Bode
Supporters of low broadband caps and high overage charges can't admit that the shift toward these pricing models is about turf protection and offers no benefit to consumers. That's why investors and the broadband industry will often try to insist that these new flat rate plus caps and overage pricing models are about altruism or a love of "next generation communications." This tends to add insult to injury to a public that's generally smarter than the industry gives them credit for.