Cable data caps curb streaming enthusiasm

While cable operators are getting heat from the FCC on how business practices like leased set-tops and "most favored nation" (MFN) deals impact the realm of online video, they might brace themselves for a renewed regulatory assault regarding data caps.

A story in today's Wall Street Journal looks at how usage caps from service providers including Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) are limiting the streaming behavior of consumers.

"I wouldn't have regular TV if not for the data cap," said 51-year-old Memphis resident Rodger Rice, who told the paper he shifts his 10-hour-a-day TV binge from streaming to cable once his provider gives him a message that he's hit his data cap each month. "Comcast has got me by the throat."

You can read the full WSJ report here.