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posted by mrpg on Tuesday August 08 2017, @10:40AM   Printer-friendly
from the the-new-normal dept.

A company that tracks ISPs and data caps in the US has identified 196 home Internet providers that impose monthly caps on Internet users. Not all of them are enforced, but customers of many ISPs must pay overage fees when they use too much data.

BroadbandNow, a broadband provider search site that gets referral fees from some ISPs, has more than 2,500 home Internet providers in its database. This list includes telecommunications providers that are registered to provide service under the government's Lifeline program, which subsidizes access for poor people. BroadbandNow's team looked through the ISPs' websites to generate a list of those with data caps.

BroadbandNow excluded mobile providers from its list of ISPs with data caps, since caps are nearly universal among cellular companies. The list of 196 providers with caps includes 89 offering fixed wireless service, 45 fiber ISPs, 35 DSL ISPs, 63 cable ISPs, and two satellite providers. Some offer Internet service using more than one technology. Some of the providers are tiny, with territories covering just 100 or a few hundred people.

Data cap analysis found almost 200 ISPs imposing data limits in the US


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  • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Wednesday August 09 2017, @02:28PM (1 child)

    by tangomargarine (667) on Wednesday August 09 2017, @02:28PM (#551106)

    but the infrastructure must be paid for somehow.

    That's the same excuse pharma uses. They're for-profit businesses; they paid off the R&D costs of Epipens years ago. I'm sure the ISPs are making plenty of money.

    Whether they charge per month, or per megabyte, doesn't instantly make them exploitative.

    No, the exploitative part comes from overselling, lack of competition, and maybe lying about the definition of "unlimited."

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  • (Score: 2) by Wootery on Wednesday August 09 2017, @02:45PM

    by Wootery (2341) on Wednesday August 09 2017, @02:45PM (#551116)

    they paid off the R&D costs of Epipens years ago. I'm sure the ISPs are making plenty of money.

    Then the question is whether they're reinvesting in a way that's good for society. My point - that the money must come from somewhere - remains. Particularly considering that maintenance isn't free, and that technology constantly evolves.

    the exploitative part comes from overselling, lack of competition, and maybe lying about the definition of "unlimited."

    Agreed. Things aren't as bad here in the UK, but shady practices appear now and then.