40GB Time Warner Bandwidth Cap

FrostFire626

<a href="http://www.tomshardware.com/news/time-warn...h-cap,7466.html" target="_blank">http://www.tomshardware.com/news/time-warn...h-cap,7466.html</a>

Time Warner Cable users will be limited to a 40GB download cap per month if the trials in Austin, San Antonio, and Rochester are successful. Overage charges will be $1 per excess gigabyte. This is in comparison to a 250GB cap from Comcast and no cap at all from Verizon Fios.

My usage of youtube, email attachments, patch and update downloads, multiplayer gaming, ventrilo, and especially streaming my favorite TV shows seems to be in very serious jeopardy if this cap is expanded to my area (L.A. County). Those who utilize online distribution of games and movies (legally) or look forward to OnLive may be in for some hard times.

This is a link to an online petition recently started:
<a href="http://www.petitiononline.com/nocap/petition-sign.html" target="_blank">http://www.petitiononline.com/nocap/petition-sign.html</a>

TychoCelchuuu

What, exactly, are we supposed to discuss? How much it sucks to have your download bandwidth capped? I agree that it sucks, and if we're posting on a forum for a Half-Life mod I don't think many of us are going to go ahead and say that they wish their bandwidth was capped. We're a bunch of nerds. Most normal peopel won't notice the cap, and if they do care, they can go to one of those other two companies you mentioned.

Fraxinus

<!--quoteo(post=1704205:date=Apr 4 2009, 02:36 PM:name=FrostFire626)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FrostFire626 @ Apr 4 2009, 02:36 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1704205"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><a href="http://www.tomshardware.com/news/time-warn...h-cap,7466.html" target="_blank">http://www.tomshardware.com/news/time-warn...h-cap,7466.html</a>

Time Warner Cable users will be limited to a 40GB download cap per month if the trials in Austin, San Antonio, and Rochester are successful. Overage charges will be $1 per excess gigabyte. This is in comparison to a 250GB cap from Comcast and no cap at all from Verizon Fios.

<i>My usage of youtube, email attachments, patch and update downloads, multiplayer gaming, ventrilo, and especially streaming my favorite TV shows seems to be in very serious jeopardy if this cap is expanded to my area (L.A. County). Those who utilize online distribution of games and movies (legally) or look forward to OnLive may be in for some hard times.</i>

This is a link to an online petition recently started:
<a href="http://www.petitiononline.com/nocap/petition-sign.html" target="_blank">http://www.petitiononline.com/nocap/petition-sign.html</a><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Thats probably what... a couple hundred megs at most?

FrostFire626

My older sister, dad, and I all use the same computer on the weekends. We downloaded 1.66GB in just over 24 hours where the only major downloads were some long but low quality videos (monitored using a bandwidth monitor www.bwmonitor.com). Doing the math, thats about 49.8GB/month usage based on weekends = $9.8 overage charge added on to the $50ish bill. If you think you're specific internet habits won't be affected, then good for you. As a hardcore gamer, as many people participating in this forum are, my habits will definitely be affected.

Scythe

...


<!--sizeo:5--><span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo-->...<!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->

<!--sizeo:7--><span style="font-size:36pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo-->...what?<!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->


You sons of mothers are complaining about what again? Bandwidth caps? OH BAWWWW.

BAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.

I'll tell you all a story. Up until very recently I was paying USD$45 a month for a 512 Kb/s ADSL connection, with <b>twenty GB</b> of download quota.

Now that I'm no longer a student, I'm paying USD$70 a month for a 24 Mb/s ADSL2+, with <b>sixty-five GB</b>.

Both of those quota numbers were split into on-peak and off-peak time zones.

Feel better now? Little whinge-bags?

--Scythe--

Zaggy

Good Lord, where do I donate for the <strike>poor</strike> capped in <strike>Africa</strike> Australia?

lolfighter

Scythe also has to carry his younger siblings to school. Uphill both ways. Through year-round blizzards AND heat waves. And he is grateful for it.

puzl

I work developing equipment for the broadband industry and I can tell you all that the business simply doesn't work without caps and the only reason unmetered internet has continued thus far is due to competition between technologies ( i.e. DSL vs Cable ). Get used to your basic entry level service being metered, and expect to pay a 20% premium to have an unmetered service.

And yes, yes it sucks.

Sops

Well inform Time Warner of your disapproval with your wallet, switch to Comcast or Verison.

locallyunscene

A month ago I would have said 40 gig seems reasonable, but then I got Netflix. I wonder if NetFlix is big enough it could slug it out with a large netcapping ISP.

Actually scratch that. Such a thing leading to "NetFlix Preferred Package" would be the end of net neutrality and not an unlikely outcome.

tjosan

Caps? Say what? I've got 100 Mb optic fiber for less than $20/month uncapped.

Lawl etc etc.

Rob

<!--quoteo(post=1704301:date=Apr 6 2009, 11:45 AM:name=Sops)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sops @ Apr 6 2009, 11:45 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1704301"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Well inform Time Warner of your disapproval with your wallet, switch to Comcast or Verison.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->


Or hole up on a mountain somewhere and broadcast your pirate message using an obscure AM band.

Fraxinus

<!--quoteo(post=1704488:date=Apr 9 2009, 06:54 AM:name=Rob)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rob @ Apr 9 2009, 06:54 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1704488"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Or hole up on a mountain somewhere and broadcast your pirate message using an obscure AM band.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Like that episode of sealab?

Comprox

<!--quoteo(post=1704294:date=Apr 6 2009, 07:46 AM:name=puzl)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(puzl @ Apr 6 2009, 07:46 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1704294"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I work developing equipment for the broadband industry and I can tell you all that the business simply doesn't work without caps and the only reason unmetered internet has continued thus far is due to competition between technologies ( i.e. DSL vs Cable ). Get used to your basic entry level service being metered, and expect to pay a 20% premium to have an unmetered service.

And yes, yes it sucks.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

The problem here is, the caps are so insanely low. The internet was built on certain bandwidth being available and many, many products use it now. Hulu, netflix, Steam, file download sites, blizzard patches, heck even the BBC is trying a show distribution on bit torrent.

God forbit that I have to format my PC. Just reinstalling the games I play often on steam would take 10-20 gigs of my cap. I could easily eat up 50% of my cap in one day then. Tack on my brother watching TV all the time using Hulu and me nabbing another game demo or two and we are over the limit. And that's a normal month for me. Thankfully my ISP has a 100 gig/month cap, which I am fine with. 40 gigs is just stupid though.

FrostFire626

Quoting myself from the g4b2s forums:

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><!--sizeo:5--><span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo-->UPDATE!<!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->

The COO of Time Warner has taken customer 'feedback' into account, increasing the majority of caps across the board while keeping prices constant. There are several tiers, but the mainstream gamer tier is capped at 60GB for $54.90, up 50% from the original cap of 40GB.

Now this is definitely not the cure-all that many of us have been hoping for (dropping the cap all together), but I personally feel much more comfortable with these changes. A quick check of my bandwidth monitor has me set for about 30GB download+upload per month (no major 1GB+ downloads). 30GB in breathing room is a very welcome change for me. This all just goes to show how useful ###### is. (I guess 'complaining' is a more appropriate word).

That being said, user feedback at tomshardware.com remains extremely negative. There still exists a large number of uncapped ISPs out there, but how long will that last?

Revised Cap Here: <a href="http://www.tomshardware.com/news/time-warn...-caps,7528.html" target="_blank">http://www.tomshardware.com/news/time-warn...-caps,7528.html</a>



Original Cap: <a href="http://www.tomshardware.com/news/time-warn...h-cap,7466.html" target="_blank">http://www.tomshardware.com/news/time-warn...h-cap,7466.html</a><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Thaldarin

I pay £34.95 for a 8Mb ADSL 50GB Cap. Pretty expensive but I bought in to the ISP on average speed and customer service, not many places do month-to-month ADSL contracts.

*Thumbs up to Shockwave's employer*

EDIT:

For example today I restored my desktop PC. 3GB Download for the Windows 7 RC1, then an extra 3GB for WoW updates. Not good for me but I won't go over 50GB anyway, don't need to be a pirate or anything just because I have faster interwebs. Still, feel sorry for Scythe though, that's a bit ridiculous.

FrostFire626

Time Warner canceled their bandwidth cap plans a few months ago due to the uproar. They still want to "educate their customers" about capping in the future, however.

steppin'razor

How about you guys eat some cement harden the f*** up. I deal with 5 gig a month plans in Australia for probably the same price as that 40gig plan. (don't take my raeg to seriously)