Customers of Comcast’s Xfinity internet service in many states may find that they will be charged if they use a lot of internet at home.
The news comes as many Americans are working, schooling and using the internet to watch TV programs through the internet.
Comcast will begin limiting many customers to 1.2 terabytes of internet data per month before charging overages.
Beginning in December, Comcast says it will begin offering an unlimited plan for customers who plan to use that much data. For most customers who rent a gateway from Comcast, an unlimited plan would cost an additional $14 a month, while most other customers would pay an additional $30 a month. Comcast will implement the plans for customers in the states of CT, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, parts of NC, NY, parts of OH, PA, VA, VT, WV, and the District of Columbia.
The cap will not apply to the Gigabit Pro tier of service or business internet customers.
For those who use more than 1.2 terabytes of data per month, Comcast will charge $10 for every 50 gigabytes of additional data. The overages will be capped at $100 per month.
Comcast says it will notify customers when they're nearing their data limit, and will send those notifications at 75%, 90% and 100% usage.
Comcast says only 5% of its customers exceed 1.2 terabytes of data per month.
Before the pandemic, Comcast suspended caps on internet usage as more Americans began using the internet for work and school.
Those who stream TV might be most likely to go over the cap. According to Netflix, one hour of video can use up to 7 gigabytes of data. Someone who streams six hours a day without using any additional internet could use up an entire month’s worth of data. However, Comcast refutes those estimates and says that 1.2 terabytes cover as many as 500 hours of streaming video.
More details can be read here.
Editor's note: An earlier headline on our article erroneously classified the new policy as an "internet usage cap" and has since been changed. The earlier version also stated that customers will receive a notification when 90% of their data is used. It has been updated to reflect they will also receive notifications at 75% and 100% use. Additionally, a clarification was added to reflect customers can purchase unlimited plans in December.