DO you agree with Broadband Download Capping?

I see that Time Warner Cable may introduce tiered pricing for the amount of content dowloaded, and I can't help finding myself supporting this.

I have a 10MB connection, which would be more than fast enough for my needs if it ever ran at 10MB, but typically it runs at 2 - 4MB/Sec, and during the evenings even slower, more like 128k speeds. I guess I just wonder why I have to suffer a slow connection because a few people on my grid have P2P connections running 24/7, most likely distributing/downloading illegal conent anyway (ok that might not be true, but is fairly likely).

What do other people think?

The downside of capping is that you will be charged for overages, which I am dead set against. I don't think they're doing it so your connection will be a little faster at night. I think they're doing it to make even more money. I definitely don't want to be in a situation where I have to check my usage before loading a site to make sure I don't end up paying obscene overage fees.

And I don't think capping will change the busy times for people to be using the internet. I can't believe the bandwidth being used simply by some P2P people would compare to the bandwidth being used by all the people logging on and doing a million other things when they get home from work.

I have "unlimited" internet. I was with AOL for years people say they are a rubbish ISP but i had no problem until a few months ago when i was stuck on a 5kb download for 2 weeks making most things impossibly slow. During that time i had to use my phone as a modem to use my 3G. I changed to Tiscali (big mistake) they block ports meaning no P2P which is fair enough during peak times however they also block ports to some FTP, PS3 games, PC games etc. I'm stuck on a 12 month contract I'm hoping my complaining will get me out of this so i can move to another ISP.
I think constant users of torrents and other P2P should be warned a few times then their bandwidth lowered.

I suffered this problem in Bangladesh about 5 years ago - I was offered "unlimited" access on a contract, so I did a lot of downloading (at a VERY slow speed) and then after about a year they threatened me with a 700MB per month download limit. I went mental!!

I sent a snotty email to them saying that the contract I had signed up for was "unlimited" and that there was nothing on their website about a 700MB pm limit, never heard back from them, but I kept on downloading

It just depends on the ISP, i guess.

I think that it balances out for the ISPs - they have to suck up the downloaders and offset them against the email checkers/websurfers (probably about 1 d/ler for every 20 average users - my stats!)

I agree with fleurya. Caps won't help your speeds in the evening. They're more of a nuisance than a benefit. I like my unlimited Internet, I don't want arbitrary caps put on that.

I support truth in advertising, which is something lacking from most ISPs.

If they want to offer unlimited access, they should do that. Since they almost never do, then they should offer clearly delineated plans.
How much can I download before I get capped?
How fast can I go without being "throttled?"

Since they do this anyway, I support this newfound desire to be honest about how they screw their customers.

Caps are not a benefit to users. They are a benefit to the ISPs.

Bottom line... if a business advertises unlimited use, then that is what I will expect to receive. If the business fails to provide what they advertise, then the contract for services should be null and void. Period.

The point of having a 10+ mbps connection is to DOWNLOAD! Who would've known?!

Having a cap on how much bandwidth you can use per month is their way of saying "Okay, you can have this sickly fast connection, but the more you use it, the more money we're taking from you."

It's all part of their "business" to get more money from the end-user.

most new internet subscribers in canada (sympatico) already are capped. i was stuck at 1GB for a while. i really can't see how any users would benefit from it.

My ISP sends me an angry letter occationly saying im going over a cap of under a gig in a month?

This is one of the reasons i shall be changing provider this year, i would love to go with virgin however due to not being able to get the cable line in the house i have to go with a DSL provider.

Having to heavy internet users in the house doesnt help matters, I play alot on xbox live and upload to my idisk etc
My brother is always watching flash animations and goes on youtube...

Not a good combination.
Any TRUE unlimited companies in the UK which anyone knows of?

How would this affect online gaming and services that offer (legal) movie downloads? I can't see a good side to this situation.

In short, NO, I don't agree with it and it's (more than likely) all about corporate greed than anything else. This is their way of changing the business model to benefit themselves.

The long answer -- I pay about $170/month for cable TV & Internet. There's rarely anything worth watching on any of the 150+ stations when I want to watch TV and I NEVER get my advertised Internet speed. Why in the world should they cap how much I can download? But it's not like I'm downloading 24x7 anyway.

technologist said:

I support truth in advertising, which is something lacking from most ISPs.

If they want to offer unlimited access, they should do that. Since they almost never do, then they should offer clearly delineated plans.
How much can I download before I get capped?
How fast can I go without being "throttled?"

Since they do this anyway, I support this newfound desire to be honest about how they screw their customers.

Click to expand...

Agreed completely. And yes, I am against Capping the line especially when they say Unlimited Unmetered Internet.

mikeyman said:

Any TRUE unlimited companies in the UK which anyone knows of?

Click to expand...

If you have sky tv then look at sky broadband, 16mb dl speed, free wireless router and unlimited usage for 10£ a month.

A slightly stretched metaphor:

When you rent a car with "unlimited mileage" it would then be a bit odd if you returned it and they said you had driven it too far and were going to charge you for driving over 1000kms!

What you do with the car in the time given is up to you, as long as you do not damage it, if you decide to drive 24/7 (without accidents, and I would assume changing drivers ), that is up to you as you signed for "unlimited mileage".

Sky aint truely unlimited i'm on sky broadband, I download a lot of movies and music and game. Been capped once or twice (and usually the service is really slow anyway after 11), which has made gaming online a nightmare.

I don't agree with it, I think if they offer unlimited they should give me unlimited.
Then again, i'm the consumer, I'm always gonna look out for my best interests.

No way would I stay with a company that caps. I have Charter, and I've never gotten any nasty letters for downloading to much. If I did get a letter like that, I'd be on the phone canceling. It's all about the ISP's making more money. I would suspect even if most of them change to "capped" services, someone will have some type of unlimited service, and they will own the market. For most people 1 GB a month would be fine I bet, but for me.. ITUNES, VPN for work, streaming content, "Windows update" on my PC's. Umm not gonna cut it!

Fiber Optic FTW.

Cable is going to become an outdated technology soon anyway. Time Warner is trying to squeeze a bit more out of it before it dies completely. It is similar to the music industry. They have been resisting the shift to internet distribution for years. Now they are finding themselves with a broken business model. Maybe Time Warner will find themselves in the same situation soon?

Verizon is running fiber optic cables directly to houses. These can transmit far quicker than cable, plus it is not effected by your neighbors downloading habits.

It is a moot point. I am dropping cable as soon as Verizon finds its way into my city. In the meantime, TW can do what it wants. They will forever remain, in my mind, one of the worst companies I have ever dealt with. I would love to see the company fall apart and be replaced by companies that do not want to make me beat my head against a wall. Caps will only make this happen quicker.