FCC probes whether it can pop a cap in ISP data caps

The US government's probe into the necessity of ISP data caps has escalated with the launch of a formal inquiry and the publication of hundreds of testimonials from those affected to drum up support for potential regulatory action. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) yesterday announced the launch of its inquiry into …

[mark l 2]

I read an article on Compare the market about what download allowance you might need

https://www.comparethemarket.com/broadband/content/what-is-a-download-allowance/

That article recons that 100 GB per month is very heavy usage, i just checked the stats on my router and ive done 92 GB in the last 6 days!

FYI i live alone so i can imagine if there were several people in the household all wanting to stream 4K or HD video on different devices this could easily be heading toward 1TB monthly usage.

[ThatOne]

> 100 GB per month is very heavy usage

Certainly a statistic from before streaming and online games and video conferencing, and pretty much everything that makes up contemporary internet use.

You don't need more than 100 GB/month to visit 1990ies web sites and do some email...

[Grogan]

Some years ago, a friend/colleague that ran a computer shop became a reseller for an ISP, and their highest tier at the time had a 300 Gb monthly limit. I said no way, I'm not putting up with bandwidth limits and overage charges. He chided me that it was an insanely generous limit, nobody should be using that much.

Firstly, I pointed out that I'd use that up in a week purchasing games on Steam and downloading shows (again, "you shouldn't be doing that!"). Secondly, I pointed out that it had the potential to cost me thousands of dollars a month in overage fees if some process used excess bandwidth for a long period of time. Thirdly, if they are going to be charging for data, then they'd best make sure it's a clean connection that doesn't result in packet retransmission, as well as network noise like packets not legitimately destined for my node.

That ISP soon dropped that idea because it was an outdated way of doing things (their words, or similar). They now offer services from 50 megabit/s to 2.5 gigabit/s speeds (depending on where you live) with no data caps.

[Pete 2]

Well, duh!

> why, among other things, caps persist despite the demonstrated technical ability of companies to offer unlimited data plans without harming their networks.

Because the ISPs make more money that way.

A better question would be Why does the FCC exist? when it is unwilling or unable to act in the best interests of users.

[Snake]

Re: unwilling to act

"A better question would be Why does the FCC exist? when it is unwilling or unable to act in the best interests of users."

They have the ability and, sometimes, the will. But then they get caught inside the political shuffle of D.C. and get hamstrung in a political "laissez-faire economics" and "small government" power play. Corporate price-gouging is always the result.

[My other car WAS an IAV Stryker]

"Reach out and [throttle] someone."

Namely, throttle (i.e.: choke) the customer until they pay dearly.

A USTelecom spokesperson commented: "Providers offer an incredibly wide range of choices to empower consumers to select the plans that best meet their individual needs. Consumers should continue to be in the driver's seat when making these choices, not government."

"Wide range of choices"? Hardly. My current mobile provider: A) older plan for 3 (me, missus, oldest kid) which throttles at 7 GB, which I can no longer adjust or add new lines to -- and I have two more kids to add (eventually); B) no-throttle "unlimited" plans that are *at least* 20% higher price -- and even more to enable 5G -- until/unless I consider the fourth (and fifth) line(s) where it might break even (hopefully).

Anything else involves pre-pay (nope -- that's more of a scam than a "plan") or changing carriers, but our phones are probably SIM-locked anyway.

[YetAnotherXyzzy]

Re: "Reach out and [throttle] someone."

I guess whether pre-pay or post-pay works best depends in part on who the available providers are. At least in the country where I live (Latin American developing country) pre-pay is the safest choice. It's far cheaper for average use, topping up is easier than settling a monthly bill, and the most you can get cheated out of is whatever airtime or temporary package you last put in. The only complaints I hear are from people on plans. One example: my wife's then-supervisor had frequent arguments over his plan bill, which more months than not had bogus charges or magically increasing amounts. So pre-pay for my household, thanks.

That said, sounds like the opposite is true where you live, so not downvoting you. Do what best protects you in your environment, and never mind what randos like me say.

[Splod]

Leave it alone!

It's a business model. If you remove the caps there simply wont be a cheap option. Good for those on unlimited they might get a reduction.

[collinsl]

Re: Leave it alone!

Why can't there be a no-cap cheap subscription? It's common here in the UK for ISPs to offer uncapped broadband lines, we're not suffering for it.

If you're bothered about people using too much data then make the competition on download and upload speeds rather than both that and data caps.

[hayzoos]

I do not use that much

I am fortunate that my home ISP does not have a data cap in my area. They do in other areas though. I do use a lot more data at home than away, the stats are available on their website so I can compare.

My mobile use is far less. I am on a "grandfathered" plan with a 1 GB / month cap. The penalty of overage is throttling. I hardly notice the throttling. The plan was modified recently though. It was a 4G only plan. The carrot(s) on the stick were upgrading to a 5G and / or (limited) unlimited plan all at more cost to me. My carrier no longer has any 4G only so I now have access to 5G, but the wife's phone is only 4G. What are the odds that through attrition I can end up with a 5G (limited) unlimited plan? BTW "normal" price increases have applied so I pay more than I did when I started but all other options cost more.

How much "data" is consumed because of bloat, crap, poor programming, ads, telemetry, data slurp, spying, whatever you want to call it?