If you're a big data hog—perhaps you're running your Netflix 24/7, you're a huge MOBA gamer, or you use BitTorrent for lots of legal Linux downloads throughout the month—then you probably aren't
going to be a fan of some of the new data plans that Comcast is trying out in select areas. Although these data caps haven't rolled out nationally yet, Comcast executives are certainly keen to do so within the next five years or so (according to a May report from Engadget).
Before you start taking out a small mortgage for your data use, you might get a bit of relief from Comcast—paid relief, that is. According to a new update from Comcast, the company is now testing out a new "Unlimited Data Option" for customers who are both stuck with Comcast's data cap trial and live in either Fort Lauderdale, the Keys, or Miami Florida.
Yes, that's it.
While plenty of other areas are getting to enjoy Comcast's "data usage plan trial," as the company describes it, only subscribers in these Florida areas will be getting a chance to possibly expand to unlimited data—if they want.
"The Unlimited Data Option provides additional choice and flexibility for our customers who may make heavier use of the Internet. Enrollment is optional. The Unlimited Data Option costs the current additional fee of $30 per calendar month, regardless of actual data usage. The 300 GB plan will not apply to customers who enroll in the Unlimited Data Option," reads Comcast's website.
"As a reminder, if you choose not to enroll in the Unlimited Data Option, your monthly plan will include 300 GB of data. If you exceed the included 300 GB of data, you will be notified via an email and in-browser notification that an additional block of 50 GB has automatically been allocated to your account, and that applicable charges will be applied to your bill."
What's rubbing some the wrong way is the notion that these very areas would have had unlimited Internet anyway, had Comcast not decided to test out its new data-capping policies on them. Now, essentially, people are paying for the privilege of having what… they already had. That said, people apparently seem to mind the data caps a bit more than they mind paying more for as much bandwidth as they can consume—at least, according to Comcast.
"In a customer survey with some heavy data users, 60 percent expressed interest in an unlimited data plan option at the predictable, flat price of around $30 a month. So, we're giving that a trial run in a few Florida markets starting on October 1st and we're notifying customers there about a month in advance. What we've found is that about 10 percent of our customers consume almost half of all the data on our network, so these trials are based on principles of flexibility and fairness," a Comcast spokesperson told Ars Technica.
Source: pcmag.com
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