ISP Bandwidth Caps are Ridiculous

Currently, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) throughout the country are slowly going from unlimited bandwidth to a bandwidth cap. AT&T's DSL service is already capped at 150 GB while their U-Verse subscribers (think TV) has a cap of 250 GB. This cap includes both uploads and downloads. Comcast has had a 250 GB cap since 2008. Cox has a 250 GB cap. Time Warner has yet to relinquish unlimited bandwidth at the time of this writing, but they have "reserved the right to do so." It's a trend that will continue and not die. I understand mobile providers doing this in order to optimize their networks (then again who knows how much they are exaggerating or not exaggerating when it comes to network strain in relation to bandwidth hogs), but it doesn't make much sense when an ISP utilizes caps when the bandwidth does not cost them as much to supply (i.e. revenues from internet connections greatly DWARFS income spent on maintaining a good broadband network).

SuddenLink is my local ISP/cable provider. They offer excellent speeds at decent prices (the prices aren't the best compared to what other regions have, but it certainly is not the worst). They apparently have test markets in certain parts of the state to determine the feasibility and backlash, if any, of switching from unlimited to a limited cap. I first became suspicious of this when I received a letter talking about my internet usage. I thought it was interesting since I have an unlimited data plan with them.  Quickly I realized it was just a matter of time before SuddenLink does what other providers have been, capping their bandwidth.  I use up anywhere from 300 to over 400 GB of bandwidth per month. Some months I use just over 200 GB. SuddenLink plans on charging $10 for every 50 GB in overage use. Here is a chart since the end of March showing my bandwidth usage, as you can see I would be really screwed for about 3 months out of that time period (click to enlarge):

What takes up all my bandwidth? Streaming. Yes, streaming. Mostly Netflix and some Hulu, see, I don't have cable because I don't believe I should have to pay $40 for a service I rarely use. Netflix and Hulu combined are less than $20 before taxes for streaming content only. On demand to play whenever you want. Want to record that TV show? That'll be an extra $15 DVR charge and/or $10 for HD content per month. Need more than one DVR for another room? That's another monthly charge. Want basic cable without any DVRs? $40 please. That's way overpriced and the cable companies know it. Companies such as Netflix and Hulu are able to make deals with the same cable networks and bring it to you at a much lower pricing and almost the same amount of content.

ISPs that provide TV programming services realize this. So instead of making cable more competitively priced they decide to impose caps to limit what you watch. And if you're a gamer? Good luck, now all of those online multiplayer sessions are going to eat away at your data. Photographer? Amateur video maker? Have fun paying for the overages because you had to upload those 18 megapixel RAW files and 1080p HD video content. This is totally going to screw people over who have hobbies that revolve around ANYTHING that has to do with being online.

When I first got rid of cable and upped my internet speed I was a bit nervous I'd go through TV withdrawal. It turned out to be one of the best financial (and personal) decisions I've made. No longer do I sit around and waste more time because I'm watching something simply because it's on and everything else is uninspiring or uninteresting. At least when I waste time sitting on my butt watching Netflix or Hulu it's on MY time and I decide when, and what, I watch, with little to no commercials.

Does this piss you off? Does it make you mad? If the cable companies offered something like a $20 fee for unlimited as long as you get a basic cable subscription, I couldn't argue with that as much, so long as the OPTION for unlimited still exists. It's less of an issue to not have unlimited data on a phone than it is for a home's ISP that might be used by several individuals (think college housing). Oh, and forget about constantly streaming Pandora or Spotify too. Sure, they don't take up that much bandwidth, but everyday, a few hours a day, and possibly by a few different individuals... well, you see where this is going.