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Post by krazykatlady on Oct 8, 2015 14:33:12 GMT
As if you needed another one ...
Comcast is putting a data cap on its unlimited data plans in Georgia.
Comcast, the largest cable company in America, is not at all happy about people that are throwing out pay TV and just streaming content from other sources, according to Channel 2 Consumer Adivsor Clark Howard.
He says that’s why Comcast is experimenting with data caps, meaning your unlimited internet is no longer unlimited under this experiment.
What happens is you will get a notice from Comcast saying you're using too much Internet. The notice will tell you that if you keep doing it they’re going to bill you for overages.
Comcast has created a data calculator that you can use to calculate the estimated amount you use each month.
The experiment is happening in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Tennessee and South Carolina.
If people don't make a fuss, Howard says this could go nationwide.
To stop that from happening, Howard recommends dumping Comcast and going to a competitor.
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freebird
Drama Llama
'cause I'm free as a bird now
Posts: 6,927 
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Post by freebird on Oct 8, 2015 14:35:16 GMT
If they sell "unlimited" then limit it, sounds like a class action lawsuit just waiting to happen.
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Post by HelenaJole on Oct 8, 2015 14:47:40 GMT
We got a notice like that a couple of years ago (from Comcast) when I was backing up my computer with one of those online services. Apparently all the uploading used too much data.
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Post by Ellie on Oct 8, 2015 14:50:28 GMT
To stop that from happening, Howard recommends dumping Comcast and going to a competitor. Oh, I so wish we could! We only use them for Internet, but they're pretty much the only game in town here (NH). I hope this experiment fails! |
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Post by anxiousmom on Oct 8, 2015 15:10:59 GMT
It seems like my entire life is run on wifi so limiting data usage would be awful, awful, awful.
I have brighthouse and as of now, limiting data isn't on the radar. They do have various levels of internet 'speeds' that are on a paid tier system (of which I am on the second lowest but can't really notice any appreciable difference.)
I wouldn't be happy about a date cap on my home service.
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lizacreates
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,856
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Post by lizacreates on Oct 8, 2015 17:49:17 GMT
I'm glad I came across this because my current provider, Clear, is shutting down next month. I'm also in a city where Comcast and AT&T are pretty much it for providers. There are some higher-rated providers but they only service apartment buildings or high-rises, not single-family homes. I can't have a usage cap because I run part of my business from home. I guess it'll have to be AT&T for me. Ugh, I really dislike both as I've had negative experiences from them.
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marimoose
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by marimoose on Oct 8, 2015 18:06:35 GMT
They have been running this experiment with those states for awhile and I am so, so grateful that Colorado isn't included. Not sure what I will do if this becomes company wide. I had read somewhere that the limits were really low, very easy to hit your cap and be subject to increased fees.
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Post by scrapsotime on Oct 8, 2015 18:06:27 GMT
Until sometime in 2012 Comcast had a data cap of 250 gb. They suspeneded that to trial what they call flexible data plans. I know they have been trialing it other others since. I just don't remember where.
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Rhondito
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MississipPea
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Post by Rhondito on Oct 8, 2015 18:36:55 GMT
Yep, I found that out a few months back when I was going to switch to Comcast because they had faster speed at a lower price than my AT&T. During the sign-up process I got a notice saying we were in an area that was testing data limits.
Needless to say, I clicked the little red X and kept AT&T.
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Post by jenb72 on Oct 8, 2015 19:51:39 GMT
We have Comcast in GA. In 2013, my SO and I bought a house and moved in together. When we did, we shut down my Comcast account and opened a new one in both names at the new address, although his name is the main one on the account. That plan gave us the highest speed internet available and 300GB of data. Unlimited wasn't available. I can count on one hand the number of times since then that we've exceeded that amount and it was when my son was all obsessed with Minecraft and thought he'd be sneaky and stay up all night watching YouTube videos on his phone (using wifi) of this one particular popular group of players. Otherwise, we generally only use half of it and that's with my SO playing online video games daily, me playing them semi-daily, my son playing his games and my daughter on Netflix for at least a couple of hours in the evening - not to mention all of our phones being on the wifi from the moment we're in range of the house.
Having said all that, yes, it sucks and isn't at all fair to those who bought into an unlimited plan at some point and are now being forced into limits.
Jen
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Post by baslp on Oct 9, 2015 1:08:54 GMT
I had no idea about this. Will definitely have to keep up on this issues.
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Post by freecharlie on Oct 9, 2015 1:19:48 GMT
We only get 150 gb of data a month for our internet. I think we could raise the amount and pay more each month, but each additional 10 gb is only $2 or something, so I dont worry.
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melissa
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Post by melissa on Oct 9, 2015 3:15:34 GMT
jenb72, but do you have cable TV? We cut the cord with the cable company (which I think, after many changes in ownership is now Comcast) over 15 years ago. We tried it for a very short time here, but just for internet and got rid of it. We had satellite TV for most of that time and have had only streaming and local channels for at least 3 years, possibly more. Because we stream most of what we watch, I would think data usage would be an issue for families like us. But, we have DSL and don't have to deal with that nonsense at this time!
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Deleted
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May 5, 2024 23:10:56 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2015 5:40:12 GMT
I'm not surprised. I kind of figured this day was coming and probably will with all major carriers as more and more people cut cable/satellite and start streaming.
We're with AT&T now (for internet and cable) and I'm getting ready to cut my cable soon, but I was worried about data limits. There are times that I've thought they were throttling speed and another neighbor (who is also a heavy streamer) said the same thing.
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M in Carolina
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Post by M in Carolina on Oct 9, 2015 8:34:00 GMT
Our area in RDU is about to get Google's new high speed internet. Dh can't wait. We dumped Comcast a long time ago and are currently using AT&T's business. Dh has to have a business connection so he can work at home.
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Post by jenb72 on Oct 9, 2015 11:15:51 GMT
jenb72, but do you have cable TV? We cut the cord with the cable company (which I think, after many changes in ownership is now Comcast) over 15 years ago. We tried it for a very short time here, but just for internet and got rid of it. We had satellite TV for most of that time and have had only streaming and local channels for at least 3 years, possibly more. Because we stream most of what we watch, I would think data usage would be an issue for families like us. But, we have DSL and don't have to deal with that nonsense at this time! Yep, we have cable with them. The only other game in town right now for us is AT&T and I can't stand them. ETA: We stream most of what we watch, also. We have a couple of shows we watch on cable (ABC and HBO) and then my SO has it for sports (mostly football) and that's pretty much it. Once in a while we might catch a movie on it we want to watch, but more often than not we're watching shows or movies on Netflix when we do watch. . Jen |
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melissa
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Post by melissa on Oct 9, 2015 18:06:44 GMT
Thanks, jenb72 !Was just wondering, thinking if families like us would quickly blow through data limits. AT+T still isn't an option here. It is not far from our house, but they did not bring the lines down to where we live. It's the same for the gas company and sewers, so it's not a surprise. I doubt we would switch anyway at this point. We were very interested a few years ago, before we switched to all streaming and the antennae (plural because we do have two- one for each major city in our area) |
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smartypants71
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Post by smartypants71 on Oct 9, 2015 18:47:27 GMT
I have had a fairly good experience with Uverse, but Xfinity's internet speed is blazing fast compared to mine (50 Mbps v 7) and is tempting me to switch. The only thing keeping me from switching back is the horrible experiences, and there were several, that I had with their customer service. Comcast is the devil.
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Southern Side eyed Pea 