Filtered Geek

Recently Time Warner Cable (TWC) continued to expand their new tierd bandwidth cap across America. Other company's like Comcast Cable have also integrated caps into their monthly access plans. The big difference is that while Comcast has a somewhat high 250GB (Still not that big) cap, TWC's caps are as listed below

The caps differ depending on the tier of service paid for by the consumer. The lowest level of service is a 768Kbps connection with a 5GB cap for $29.95 per month. The high-end package will offer 15MBps with a 40GB cap for $54.90 per month. Consumers will pay by the gigabyte for consumption in excess of the established caps. Customers will be able to see how much bandwidth they have left by visiting the Time Warner Cable web site. - Used from ArsTechnica

What does this mean for average joe consumer? Well if you only use the internet for simple browsing and email, not much. This however is a big problem for people who like to use the internet for rich media, like audio/video/downloads. You could easily reach your cap by say watching Hulu TV, or streaming a movie using Netflix. I personally am moving to DSL until something like AT&T UVerse, or Verizion FIOS comes to my area. Unlimited bandwidth and no caps to worry about.

Caps Can't Be That Bad.... Can They?

Caps seem like a decent idea in theory. Use to much of your share, and pay more or get cut off... fair enough. But coming from a company that has vested interest in both TV and VOIP (Internet Phone), seems like my internet is being limited to keep my phone and TV usage on their controlled (and profitable) networks. This is wrong. It may not be a violation of Network Neutrality (A Quazi-Law saying that ISPs can not mess with your internet) but it sure feels like it to me. Now I can't watch my favorite shows or movies, without having to worry about my caps, but if i would pay for the expensive cable and phone packages, i can watch or call all I want.... All i have to do is pay for the privilege too. Sounds greedy to me.