[kbatten]

Data caps seem fine as long as they keep up with technology. The problem is that even 5 years ago 300GB was barely reasonable and it is completely unreasonable today.

What I mean by "fine" is I would rather have a datacap and a higher speed that could potentially exceed the data cap if used 24/7 than a slower speed that creates a soft cap anyway.

[Zikes]

I pay for 50Mbps internet.

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=300GB+%2F+50Mbps

I wouldn't even have to use full speed 24/7 to hit that cap, only just over half a day.

[thomasfortes]

When I was in university, I shared a house with a bunch of friends, we paid for 30Mbps, then I set up a router with nice cache system, QoS and all that stuff.

Most of the days we used around 100GB+, our isp called sometimes (two months interval more or less) to say that we hit our monthly data cap (which was 320GB), we got used to saying "ok, so cancel my plan, we are going to another ISP that don't put cap on our data usage" and then they continued the conversation saying that "this month we will not reduce our speed, but next time they would have to, unless you upgrade your plan", "no, thanks".

Since they were a new provider in the region, guess that the infrastructure were more than enough to sustain our use, and I was really surprised that the same excuse worked for around two years (then I graduated, don't know how it's now).

[Scoundreller]

Given the nature of ISPs, networks and 95th percentile billing, a rational ISP would have advised you to keep it down between the hours of X and Y on days A through B.

At least one ISP around here offers unlimited data, but at reduced mbps during peak times. I can understand their plan, trying to maximize their resources without trying to break the laws of physics.

If only others would maximize their available resources. Since they aren't, it's (even more) clear that the caps are arbitrary and serve only to maintain video distribution monopolies.

[lucb1e]

> 5 years ago 300GB

Enter Belgium. There they advertise just how huge 150GB is. Living in the Netherlands using 2.5TB a month I can only pity them.

[periwinkle]

When I lived there (2009) my cap was 4GB/month. After that the download speed went down to 28.8kbps.

[lucb1e]

In Belgium, like, a developed country? Please tell me that was at least a mobile connection

[periwinkle]

Quite the opposite, it was university housing for faculty and graduate students. The most expensive residential plans at the time had a 20GB/month cap, IIRC.

[logicchains]

That's offensive to developing countries. China for instance has no-cap internet for only a few hundred dollars per year.

[lucb1e]

> That's offensive

Well if it had been in Congo it would have made more sense, right?