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xtreme
06-14-2002, 10:32 AM
find this over at www.Neowin.net
thank goodness i have DSL


Cable companies considering download limits
Posted by UKer at 09:10 EST on 13 Jun 2002 - 14:10 GMT | 81 Comments

It has been reported that cable companies AT&T Broadband, Charter Communications, and Cox Communications are considering moves which could see the end of cheap bandwidth as they look towards limiting users and forcing them to pay more for additional downloads.

This would be a huge blow for people using file sharing programs like KaZaA and other popular P2P services as they rely on the widespread availability of cheap bandwidth. The cable companies are now hoping to introduce limitations, which could mean the exchange of huge files (or huge numbers of files) could become costly, and the people sharing the files could see growing bills. Packages which could be introduced will force people to pay a fixed fee for a certain amount of bandwidth and if they exceed this additional charges will be implemented.

There have been experiments with different broadband packages by Charter who have been allowing users to make a choice between high and low download rates, with the quicker connection priced higher. In this 60% of people who joined them opted for the slower connection and this is an indication that people are willing to make compromises for cost.

A P2P expert has told Business Week: “This is one of the greatest threats to peer-to-peer file-sharing,”, he then went on to say: “If a critical mass of broadband providers institute pricing structures that make people sensitive to the amount of data they transmit, there will be less sharing.”. A spokesman for the record industry also said: “Tiered pricing won't help artists or labels get paid, but it's a step in the right direction”.

The main reason for the price changes isn’t to stop P2P sharing, however, but is for broadband providers to lure custom as the prices currently charged are seen as too high by many people. In the US $60 billion has been spent in recent years building the networks and providers are struggling to recover this.

Xbox Owner
06-14-2002, 10:41 AM
Damn, this sucks. I was going to get AT&T, but now I dunno...:(

Kooster
06-14-2002, 10:51 AM
I have att. I hope this doesnt happen. I hate it when ppl charge for stuff that should be free. If att starts charging, i think ill have to switch cable services.

Toonz
06-14-2002, 10:53 AM
You had to epect this was coming I average 30GB/month down and I'm sure I'm a small fish compared to others

DZNUTZ
06-14-2002, 11:00 AM
i'm glad i recently suscribed for dsl as well.

Laxeph
06-14-2002, 12:35 PM
I have Road Runner so I'm good.

Loaded
06-14-2002, 12:47 PM
Heres whats happening in ontario.


High-speed clients riled by Bell, Rogers

By SHOWWEI CHU
TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

Friday, June 14, 2002 – Page B5

Nearly 10,000 people have signed an on-line petition, protesting against the download limits for high-speed Internet access that Bell Canada and Rogers Cable Inc. are launching.

This week, Bell Canada introduced three monthly digital subscriber line (DSL) plans of $29.95, $44.95 and $69.95, which impose download and upload caps of one gigabyte (GB), five GB and 10 GB, respectively. Sympatico surfers who exceed the monthly caps have to pay about $7.90 per GB on top of their rate plans.

It is expected that Rogers, a unit of Rogers Communications Inc. of Toronto, will impose similar caps when it launches its new cable modem rate plans by the end of the year.

Many of the 9,570 people who signed the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com argue that the new concept unfairly changes the rules on them because they were sold on the concept of unlimited high-speed Internet access.

"Why should I pay extra for bandwidth when that's what we're paying for in the first place?" Steve Stone wrote.

Others complain that it will take only a couple of downloads of movie files or several hours of Internet radio listening before they get dinged.

Bob Carrick, an Ottawa-based consultant who started the petition and is a member of the grassroots group Residential Broadband Users' Association, said that to have his original Sympatico rate altered "is not necessarily a very fair business practice."

Mr. Carrick, who wants a cap of 20 GB, said there are still many customers who really don't know what the limits will mean.

"If you use your connection to its fullest, it's only 22 minutes of use per day over a month," said Mr. Carrick, who has completed a chart comparing the hours per day it takes to reach the download limit for Internet radio, television and video games.

Bell Canada, a unit of Montreal-based BCE Inc., said that five GB of bandwidth is the equivalent of downloading or uploading 1,000 music files or 50,000 digital photos, or 70 hours of Internet radio.

Spokesman Andrew Cole said the bandwidth level the company has chosen is "reasonable for a majority of users," adding that 92 per cent of its high-speed Internet customers on average use 1.5 GB a month. He also said that users who need more have the option of upgrading to the "ultra" package, which offers a 10 MB cap for $69.95 a month.

Many petitioners are threatening to cancel their subscriptions. DSL users can opt for the smaller Internet service providers, such as istop.com and igs.net, said Mr. Carrick, who Friday is launching www.canadianisp.com, an ISP locator.

There are also wireless options such as networks that use the wireless standard 802.11b, said Brian Sharwood, a senior associate at research firm Seaboard Group Inc.


Globe and Mail

E-Xbox
06-14-2002, 12:53 PM
i have rogers..
so im still good..
hehe

peace

mahalan
06-14-2002, 01:24 PM
I doubt it will happen.

Right now, telecom companies are suffering from a glut of overcapacity. They don't need to limit access to the pipe because there's more than enough pipe to go around.

Their problem is that they spent billions of dollars for something nobody's willing to pay for. The solution to this is not raising the price for access. Simple economics tells us that a solution like that will only cost you customers. Since incremental customers are virtually free (since most of the costs are fixed), reducing your customer base only exascerbates the problem.

If you've got cable Internet at home, your biggest problem is hacking not worrying about rate increases or usage limitations.

Snoopy7548
06-14-2002, 02:31 PM
i have charter. this sucks. ill just pick the lower speed thing instead of a limited bandwidth, if they decide to do that.

mother
06-14-2002, 02:33 PM
this is garbage, think about it pay more to download lol , what a bunch of crap, no one is going to do this it makes no sence. anyway this is crap dsl is crap. crap.

Spaztic
06-14-2002, 02:50 PM
damn that would suck! I am on rr so I am not affected but, if they did that the cable companys will probably loose alot of business due to people switching over to dsl. That really ****es me off that companies try to gouge the consumer for lines that most cable providers lease! F them! They make enough, leave my bandwidth alone you basterds!

wweomaniac
06-14-2002, 02:59 PM
umm buddy..

Here in Ottawa, they've already started that on DSL lines and they have yet to start it with Cable.. but they will.

They are now charging you on the amount of bandwidth you use with Bell Sympatico High Speed Edition DSL.

I think that Rogers@home will start charging sooner or later.

JJaX
06-14-2002, 03:08 PM
What does D/L restricitons have to do with xbox live? Where not gonna be sitting on Morpheus downloading full length movies and junk. Where gonna be blowing each other up and cursing at each other. And if Xbox live does offer D/L's its gonna be patches and add-ons. Nothing big.....

wweomaniac
06-14-2002, 03:10 PM
Originally posted by JJaX
What does D/L restricitons have to do with xbox live? Where not gonna be sitting on Morpheus downloading full length movies and junk. Where gonna be blowing each other up and cursing at each other. And if Xbox live does offer D/L's its gonna be patches and add-ons. Nothing big.....
no.. but you will be using bandwidth when playing online, therefore it still counts.

JJaX
06-14-2002, 03:15 PM
Originally posted by wweomaniac

no.. but you will be using bandwidth when playing online, therefore it still counts.

Im pretty sure the packets of information going back and forth when gaming will not exceed the bandwidth limit.

Casper
06-14-2002, 03:52 PM
Originally posted by JJaX


Im pretty sure the packets of information going back and forth when gaming will not exceed the bandwidth limit.

Nah, kiddo, your wrong there. If they have a bandwidth limit, you can exceed that by just listening to a radio webcast :rolleyes: . How retarded is that. I think that the gov't needs to step in and take this over. It is a big mess, especially in Florida, where there is WAY too much competition that they just have retarded standards for bandwidth. How come they never had this for 56k? I just think that it's getting way out of hand and someone needs to bring these greedy S.O.B.'s back down to earth and stop trying to control us all the time. :mad:

Jon27
06-14-2002, 07:41 PM
They never had it for 56k because there is no way your getting to 5 gigs with that.

This whole thing is bull shi t dudes i have bell high speed, and if this was in effect last month i would have had to pay $58.46 last month plus the outragously high canadian taxes on top of that.

And all i say i am is an average teenage user, the only ppl that wont max this out is rich old guys who just use it to get faster stock up dates and have no idea what the hell an mp3 is.

And to all you little cable boys, rodgers is raising their price soon also.

Thats where bell got its idea from.

Well any ways happy gaming until when ever your limit comes into effect.

Mine came in on the 12 so im already dead.


Sh it on canada.

E-Xbox
06-14-2002, 07:56 PM
Originally posted by wweomaniac
umm buddy..

Here in Ottawa, they've already started that on DSL lines and they have yet to start it with Cable.. but they will.

They are now charging you on the amount of bandwidth you use with Bell Sympatico High Speed Edition DSL.

I think that Rogers@home will start charging sooner or later.
seriously?!
i never knew that ..
oh well..i have rogers..

peace

gtaplayer
06-14-2002, 08:01 PM
i have dsl from directv dsl so im all good..2 bad im not gettin xbox live if iw anna play a fps online i go on my computer :)

JohnB
06-14-2002, 08:30 PM
I'm glad I'm on RR because I have 3 people in my house that take turns playing counterstrike allllllllllllllllllll day long till 3am. I would easily reach the 1gb limit in like a week. So I truly hope this does not happen. Cable bills are very very high already. Cable is not cheap at all.

Shorezy
06-14-2002, 08:35 PM
Originally posted by E-Xbox
i have rogers..
so im still good..
hehe

peace

same here E. :rolleyes:

Crazy Joe
06-14-2002, 11:29 PM
Originally posted by E-Xbox

oh well..i have rogers..

peace

i am switching to Cable from Bell DSL (greedy bastards) sometime this week Cogeco i think, so even if Roger's starts to charge I should be okay.... hopefully

E-Xbox
06-14-2002, 11:33 PM
Originally posted by Gortholomew
i am switching to Cable from Bell DSL (greedy bastards) sometime this week Cogeco i think, so even if Roger's starts to charge I should be okay.... hopefully
good!
cuz bell dsl sux ass!
rogers kicks ass!

peace

gtaplayer
06-15-2002, 12:03 AM
Originally posted by JohnB
I'm glad I'm on RR because I have 3 people in my house that take turns playing counterstrike allllllllllllllllllll day long till 3am. I would easily reach the 1gb limit in like a week. So I truly hope this does not happen. Cable bills are very very high already. Cable is not cheap at all.


true that i play mad cs all day long 2 bad not that many of my friends like it, as i would like for them 2 like it...


yo when u guys say 1gb a month what u mean by that?

l Maximus l
06-15-2002, 01:24 AM
When playing via XBox Live, aren't we using Upload instead of download? And, if so (which I am positive is the case), then, how should this concern us in regards to downloading?

Also, I have AT&T Broadband and am switching to Qwest DSL. I had Qwest DSL when I had my business and it was awesome!! :)

E-Xbox
06-15-2002, 10:41 AM
Originally posted by Maximus-XBA
When playing via XBox Live, aren't we using Upload instead of download? And, if so (which I am positive is the case), then, how should this concern us in regards to downloading?

Also, I have AT&T Broadband and am switching to Qwest DSL. I had Qwest DSL when I had my business and it was awesome!! :)
u would be upping and downloading max..
just think of gamespy man...
u r sending packets..and receiving packets..
in that last gs box that pops up..
it has that info..

peace

(¯`·._)
06-15-2002, 11:11 AM
max out 1gb? ive used 0.8 in four days! not to mention i havent been playing halo online yet, which takes around 150-300k/s which means u wont be playing xbox live very long. all the multimedia is ruined, no more watching streaming videos, or watching ign game videos and such. i dont know what to do, im lucky to have dsl because i cant get cable here.
btw you download more than you upload when playing games online

faceoff508
06-15-2002, 11:31 AM
I hope they think before they do that!

Monga
06-15-2002, 07:17 PM
Thats just evil...

MethodZ
06-15-2002, 09:29 PM
thats bull the interent, should be free not only do we gotta pay at least 10$ a month we also get bombarded with spam and millions of pop up ads everyday

RadRider
06-15-2002, 09:49 PM
I've got Shaw Cable. As far as I know, there's no plans for a downloading or uploading cap. If you use your account in excess, they email you and call you, telling you to stop it, which apparently works in most cases. However, in the contract there isn't actually any mention of maximum upload/download limits, so anyone who really needs it can use it.

Personally I think it's dumb to introduce the fee. Except for playing video games (which I'd say account for about 10Megs or so of data a day, and which will only increase once Xbox goes online), the limits they are trying to impose are reasonable for most people. Of course when I say most, I mean the average AOL user who can't tell the difference between a URL and ISP.

Clan_X-ILE
06-16-2002, 02:10 AM
NO WAY I HAVE COX i think thats just wrong...:mad: