Comcast Waives Data Cap Until At Least June 30 In Response To Pandemic (arstechnica.com) 30
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: After promising 60 days without data caps and overage fees for all customers, Comcast has decided to extend the data-cap waiver until at least June 30. Comcast announced the data-cap waiver on March 13, saying the waiver would last until May 13 to help customers deal with the pandemic. Today, Comcast said it will extend the data-cap waiver and other pandemic-related changes "through June 30 to help ensure students can finish out the school year from home and remain connected to the Internet during the COVID-19 crisis."
Also extended to June 30 is Comcast's promise not to disconnect Internet, mobile, or home phone service and to waive late fees if customers "contact us and let us know that they can't pay their bills during this period." Comcast also previously made its $10-per-month Internet Essentials plan free to new low-income customers for two months. With today's announcement, that offer for new low-income customers will remain on the table until June 30. Additionally, Comcast will keep its Wi-Fi hotspots open to anyone who needs them through June 30. Comcast has a 1TB monthly data cap in 27 states, except for the Northeast where Comcast faces strong competition from Verizon's uncapped fiber-to-the-home FiOS service, the report notes. "In capped areas, Comcast charges an extra $10 for each additional block of 50GB, or $50 more each month for unlimited data."
Also extended to June 30 is Comcast's promise not to disconnect Internet, mobile, or home phone service and to waive late fees if customers "contact us and let us know that they can't pay their bills during this period." Comcast also previously made its $10-per-month Internet Essentials plan free to new low-income customers for two months. With today's announcement, that offer for new low-income customers will remain on the table until June 30. Additionally, Comcast will keep its Wi-Fi hotspots open to anyone who needs them through June 30. Comcast has a 1TB monthly data cap in 27 states, except for the Northeast where Comcast faces strong competition from Verizon's uncapped fiber-to-the-home FiOS service, the report notes. "In capped areas, Comcast charges an extra $10 for each additional block of 50GB, or $50 more each month for unlimited data."
Monopoly (Score:3)
It's great how they keep showing how they're only able to make those extra charges in places where they're a monopoly-- and that they clearly don't need to do so due to network limitations.
It would be great to see internet providers fall under the same antitrust rules as electricity providers.
Re: (Score:2)
It would be great to see internet providers fall under the same antitrust rules as electricity providers.
Please explain where you get unlimited electricity for a flat rate.
You have literally found the worst possible anti-trust example. Electric companies charge per kilowatt-hour.
If that model was applied to ISP's, you would be charged per megabyte, which is exactly the thing you are trying to fight against.
Fucking stupid.
Re: (Score:3)
You have the freedom to choose the electricity supplier you want, independently of the power delivery charge (via regulation).
If we could do this with internet providers, they would actually have to compete with each other without needing ten different data lines feeding into your building/house.
So, no, it's not "fucking stupid" to have competition.
Re:Monopoly (Score:4, Informative)
You have the freedom to choose the electricity supplier you want, independently of the power delivery charge (via regulation). If we could do this with internet providers, they would actually have to compete with each other without needing ten different data lines feeding into your building/house. So, no, it's not "fucking stupid" to have competition.
My country has more or less done just this. We have a National fibre network which is regulated pretty heavily. The various ISP's sell their services on top of that.
What has happened is that the ISP's have to find ways to differentiate themselves. Some of them offer free Netflix, or sports streaming or whatever.
As far as I am aware they all offer some sort of unlimited data plan, because its 2020, and who the hell wants to figure out how much data they might need?
So yes. Competition is good. Our system is a long way from being perfect, but it is not too bad.
Unlimited electricity. (Score:2)
1. Unlimited always means full bandwith you paid for, 24/7. Which, as you might notice, is a finite amount of data. One that you actually can get in other countries.
2. The fucking SUN! Heard of it?
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Please explain how your analogy applies.
Electric companies expend significantly more resources at maximum load (and more yet at surge load) than they do at minimum load. Do ISPs?
Electric companies have some hard limits on the amount of power they can provide, and consumers have hard limits on the amount of power they can provide. The IS
Re: (Score:2)
It's great how they keep showing how they're only able to make those extra charges in places where they're a monopoly-- and that they clearly don't need to do so due to network limitations.
It would be great to see internet providers fall under the same antitrust rules as electricity providers.
First sentence, 100% agree. Their data caps and overage charges are purely opportunistic profit taking and leveraging their monopoly where it exists. It's exactly the kind of abuse everyone knows goes on but somehow is allowed anyhow...and equally a blatant example of competition lowering prices (without driving any big company out of business).
Second sentence, wow no. You should have quit while you were ahead and not thrown in the bad analogy. At least you didn't try one about cars.
Praise Comcast? (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Wait, I know this one. Jury trials!
Right?
Re: Praise Comcast? (Score:4, Funny)
Die?
How Charitable... (Score:2)
Re: How Charitable... (Score:2)
Well, if you ever needed proof that this is not a democracy ... (call the Comcast traitors, err "lobbyists").
Re: (Score:2)
Never happen with our pal Ajit in charge.
Re: (Score:2)
Ten to one that Ajit Pai gets a board position from Comcast the day he steps down, and probably several other corporations he's refusing to control.
Re: How Charitable... (Score:2)
"Ajit Pai gets a board position from Comcast the day he steps down"
Yup. And no doubt that obvious open corruption will be fully badlawful.
Let's put the most blame where it is most due: on the badlaws that permit this kind of malfeasance, and on the badjudges who acquiesce to this pitiful spectacle.
Re: (Score:2)
The government(s) granted them their monopoly status. There's no way they get taken to court for anti-trust. The government(s) would have to sue themselves at the same time.
But at full speed? (Score:2)
Here in Germany, companies did that too, but they also throttled the top speed a *lot*. Even when the cap wasn't used up yet.
My guess is that they did it only so people would complain less about the throttling they had to do to reduce the spikes that overwhelmed their network.
Let's see their P/L statement next qtr (Score:2)
Voila (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
I'm noticing that the service quality is starting to degrade, though. I'm seeing increased latency when I try to connect to remote servers with my Comcast account, and the voice quality during my Zoom meetings has turned to garbage compared to last month.
Re: (Score:2)
Not sure what to call this new feeling (Score:2)
Weird. Normally I hate Comcast but now I feel something different towards them.
Re: (Score:2)
Don't worry, they'll do something utterly obnoxious and anticonsumer by this time next week.
Re: (Score:2)
That feeling is Stockholm Syndrome.
Re: (Score:2)
No, I think it's just slightly less hate.
Comcast also refunding $100 for unlimited (Score:2)
So far, for March x-May x, (two month period, x depends on which days your month runs) they're refunding $100, representing two months of the $50/month fee for waiving the data cap charges.
Hopefully, this means another $50/month for those of us still living at locations with insufficient competition.
Could be worse (Score:2)
My monthly data cap with Hughesnet is 10 GB.