Comments on: Metered Bandwidth = Bad Idea

By: AR

AR — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:43:06 +0000

Welcome to Australia, although $1 extra for a gigabyte? Thats VERY generous compared to some ISPs in Australia, although most speed limited when you’re “capped”, there are still a few who charge you. Big time.
Bigpond charges you $0.15 for each MEGABYTE you go over. Thats $153.60 per 1GB.

Consider yourselves lucky.

By: Net Neutrality, Robber Barons and a “Free” Internet » PCMech

Net Neutrality, Robber Barons and a “Free” Internet » PCMech — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:27:37 +0000

[...] every Internet user needs to take notice of…’Net Neutrality. While the article, “Metered Bandwidth = Bad Idea” was well written, it only scratches the surface of this important [...]

By: ‘Net Neutrality, Robber Barons and a “Free” Internet : Technology @ BizRiver.com

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 01:37:26 +0000

[...] Internet user needs to take notice of…’Net Neutrality. While the article, “Metered Bandwidth = Bad Idea” was well written, it only scratches the surface of this important [...]

By: Smiling Carcass

Smiling Carcass — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 23:12:25 +0000

I live in the UK and have unlimited 8mbit (just this week upgraded from 2mbit) adsl with virgin media. This is ‘unlimited’ but with an ‘acceptable use policy’. (Con #1) I don’t really monitor my bandwidth, but have never had a warning letter. I believe if your usage goes up above their ‘acceptable’ limit, they throttle you down for four hours or so.
The next issue (Con #2) is why, if you are offering all these high speed connections, do you expect us not to take advantage of it? I mean, you wouldn’t go to the butcher for three pork chops if he said ‘Have one now, one next week and one the week after. If you take them all now, I’ll have to charge you £I extra for each one.’
My next issue (Con #3) is why are you offering these streaming TV shows, asking if we want online video rental etc if we use them and you’re going to say we use too it too much?
Next, (Con #4), we are told capping and ‘acceptable use’ is to give everybody fair access to the service. Really it is because they are offering the high bandwidth before they have the infrastructure to handle it. Talk here in the UK suggests it won’t be long before we can access speeds of 100mbits. What’s the point if you can’t handle 8mbits?
Finally (Con #5) they have dangled the carrot, free ‘phone calls and 8mbit downloads for £14.99 a month’. And now they have us on the hook, along comes the stick- use too much and we’ll set limits for your bundle and charge for ‘overuse’ of what we said you can have.

By: ‘Net Neutrality, Robber Barons and a “Free” Internet - TwoFourTECH.com - TwoFourTECH.com - tech for the rest of us

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:01:03 +0000

[...] Internet user needs to take notice of…’Net Neutrality. While the article, “Metered Bandwidth = Bad Idea” was well written, it only scratches the surface of this important [...]

By: Branhams

Branhams — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:36:46 +0000

At first glance Metered Bandwidth looks like a terrible idea. However, Metered Bandwidth is a great idea.

Only a small percentage of the broadband users require 40 GB of usage per month. The people who use more throttle the speeds of their neighbors and cause the ISP to raise rates when they have to expand infrastructure. I’d personally rather have people sharing movies and music pay the cost than have my rates go up another ten bucks a month.

By: DataKnight

DataKnight — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:43:42 +0000

This is what my ISP here in the UK does and I’m happy enough with it. I dont download films because I have no need to. I watch a certain amount of streamed TV but again limit my viewing. I have a 10gb capped service for £13.99/month and extra capacity costs £1.00/Gb if they charge me (which mostly they haven’t).

By: Ben

Ben — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 10:54:49 +0000

It’s been like this for many years here in Australia… well always really. I have a 40gig plan on ADSL 8mbit (8mbit down, 0.5mbit up). Even the “unlimited” plans here have limits or “Acceptable Use Agreements”, which have various conditions (from top 10% of users to just what they consider hogs).

It’s all about profit, the less people download and the more they pay the better for their profit margins. Such is life though… we are use to it. Then again all the MMO games have servers in the USA and don’t see us as a sizeable market to give us our own (not even 1 server, yay).

Good luck fighting it guys, eventually you’ll find the unlimited plans disappear as has happened here over the years (there was some at one time).

By: Simon

Simon — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 06:27:34 +0000

Metered internet is the business model for Australia. This is a terrible plan, as it really does limit high end stuff like internet tv, steam™ and game streams and the like. I only pray that one day we will lose this stupid, money grabbing idea. If its being implimented in the states, then good luck to you, for its really a step backwards

By: Rich Menga

Rich Menga — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 04:02:44 +0000

Sometimes I wonder if it’s an indicator that the network infrastructure of the ISPs can’t handle as many customers as once thought? Or is it just outright corporate greed? One can never be sure I suppose.

At least back in the dial-up days there were “mom’n'pop” ISPs, i.e. locals. You had more choice, no question (and some were unlimited access.)