Here’s the news from The Verge…
Comcast’s home internet data caps are going live for a majority of customers starting November 1st, the company announced today. Called the “Xfinity Terabyte Internet Data Usage Plan,” the cap restricts the amount of data you consume in your home to 1TB per month regardless of the speed of your plan. Comcast claims 99 percent of customers use less than 1TB per month, but it does now offer an unlimited option for $50 more per month.
Back in April, Comcast bumped its data cap from 300GB to 1TB after consumer backlash and renewed regulatory concern from the FCC. And until today, the plan has been active in select markets for 16 states. But starting November 1st, the list will add 18 new markets, bringing the total number of states with the terabyte data cap to around 30. Notable exceptions include New York and nearly the entire northeast. For a full list of included markets, check Comcast’s online FAQ.
And the note they are sending to customers…
We’re writing to let you know that we will be activating a new XFINITY Internet Data Usage Plan in your area. Effective November 1, 2016, your XFINITY Internet service will include one terabyte (that’s 1,024 GB) of data usage per month. With a terabyte of data you can stream between 600 and 700 hours of HD video, play more than 12,000 hours of online games, or download 60,000 high-res photos in a month. For the past three months, your average data usage was only [variable] GB. Based on your usage history, you can still stream, surf, game, download and do whatever you want to do online, worry free.
One terabyte is a massive amount of data – less than 1% of our customers use that amount in a month. However, we still want to make sure you understand your options and choose the Data Usage Plan that works best for you. If you believe you will need more data, an Unlimited Data option is available. Our data plans are based on a principle of fairness. Those who use more Internet data, pay more. And those who use less Internet data, pay less. One Terabyte Plan and Unlimited Data option:
You can also track and manage your usage so there are never any surprises about how much data you use. Here are a few tools you can use:
- Data Usage meter – Monitor how much data your household has used with our Data Usage Meter.
- Data Usage Estimator – Estimate your data usage with our Estimator Tool. Simply enter how your household typically uses the Internet and the tool will estimate your monthly data usage.
- Notifications – If you approach, reach or exceed one terabyte of data usage, we will send you a courtesy “in-browser” notice as well as an email. You can also elect to receive notifications at specific usage thresholds and set up mobile text notifications. Learn more about notifications here. Usage notifications will not be sent to customers who enroll in the Unlimited Data option.
For the less than 1% of customers who do exceed one terabyte of data usage, we’re offering two courtesy months, so customers will not be charged the first two times they exceed one terabyte while they are getting comfortable with the new plan. If you have any questions about the new Data Usage Plan, please visit http://dataplan.xfinity.com/.