Data caps are coming to AT&T’s U-Verse and DSL services, but they’re unlikely to affect the vast majority of customers — for now.
As far as data caps go, AT&T’s deal isn’t a bad one. It’s a lot more lenient than the bandwidth caps that Internet service providers were testing in 2008 and 2009. For example, Time Warner Cable wanted to test caps of up to 40 GB per month for most users, but put those plans on hold in light of a backlash from customers and politicians. AT&T’s plan also beats Comcast’s policy of cutting off Internet access after 250 GB. To help people avoid accidental overages, AT&T plans to send notifications to customers when they consume 65 percent, 90 percent and 100 percent of their monthly allotment.
Still, if AT&T customers accept this cap without a backlash, other ISPs may follow. It’s already happening in wireless, and limited wired broadband may become inevitable as well.
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