Comcast strikes again in their never-ending quest to become the most hated company in America
For the past few years, it has become common to read about some new act or bill or company trying to regulate internet usage or freedom. Back in 2012, SOPA became a household name as websites like Wikipedia shut down for a day. Many Facebook users changed their profile picture in protest. SOPA did not pass, though forms of it are continually pushed such as the heavily controversial CISPA– many consider it to be more offensive than SOPA.
What about the internet companies though? As of February, all major Canadian internet service providers, or ISPs cap monthly data usage and will charge for going over the monthly allowance, similar to how cell phone companies handle internet data charges.
Before you celebrate not being a Canadian internet user, Comcast recently began a service trial through their XFINITY Internet service which charges an extra $10 per month for every 50 gigabytes of data you use over your 300 gigabyte cap. Comcast claims it is unlikely users will exceed the 300 gigabyte cap; currently only 12% of their customer base actually exceeds it. You can find out if you are affected here, as some customers have claimed they have only been informed after exceeding the cap.
Only 8% of Comcast customers are affected by the trial,Which is not stopping Comcast from offering “unlimited data usage for an extra $30 per month. It is possible for Comcast to lower the cap from 300 gigabytes to something that would limit the availability of streaming services such as Netflix. At least our internet isn’t like North Korea’s.