…And So It Begins…Comcast implements bandwidth cap

We all knew it was just going to be a matter of time, as some Comcast users (especially lovers of the p2p) suspected, then confirmed Comcast had been thwarting their connections during bouts of heavy usage.  

As I recall, Comcast initially responded by denying the reports…until they finally confessed to doing so after getting sweat from the FCC.  

To give this act some context, back in January, Time Warner Cable went the way of the Dodo and implemented a cap in test areas.  Not much feedback has been reported from these victims yet, but that makes sense, as the new billing in those select areas only went into effect this month.

Ladies and gentleman, it would seem the bandwidth restriction arms race has officially started.  While TWC is testing caps of 40GB/month, Comcast is starting off by offering their users a monthly cap of 250GB.  Hmmm…by comparison to TWC, Comcast’s cap sounds rather generous and perhaps innocuous, right?

Au contraire.  Some folks who practice the ancient art of critical thinking have some very strong opinions on the idea of bandwidth caps altogether, especially considering we’re in the dawn of streaming HD video.  

There are serious questions such as, how are customers expected to meter their bandwidth so that they can make sure they’ve budgeted their usage accordingly? As I understand it, Comcast offers no current solution.

Will Comcast start their own VOD/PPV IPTV based service wherein it will be exempt from the cap, thereby giving you the incentive to only buy content through them? Would that be even legal? Ah, so many questions.

Comcast claims the majority of their users use less than 3G per month and that this tactic is soley designed to target the pirates and prevent abuse by the “torrenters” and “matroska hounds”.

Well, as online video continues to explode and stream into our homes, were going to need the Nile and not a tolled, filtered conveyer belt.  For folks prone to using file sharing apps and networked household HD video hardware (i.e. Slingbox, Roku, Xbox 360, Apple TV), that 250GB is not so good.  

It would seem this move is a pre-emptive strike by Comcast to implement the cap now in what will surely become a bigger war down the road.  By planting this seed now, they can take advantage of the current low bandwidth usage (as it inevitably continues to grow exponentially), all the while marketing the 250GB cap as ridiculously high (knowing full well that we will all be inevitable data hogs very soon).  

If we don’t fight back, ultimately we’ll all be coveting monthly ISP rollover GB’s soon…what a joke.  Heck, before you know it we’ll have to buy virtual stamps for email. 

Guru Om Malik of GigaOM has compiled his top ten reasons  as to why bandwidth metering should be taken out back and shot dead like Candy’s dog. 

So get out there and voice your protest.  

To conjure more inspiration for your candlelight vigil signs, here are a couple of great graphics I discovered when I searched Google Images for “Comcast” and “evil”: