Comcast expands deployment of 1 TB data cap

Comcast has significantly expanded deployment of its 1 terabyte data cap.

The MSO originally announced the 1 terabyte data usage limit in April, amid public and regulatory pressure. Up until now, it’s only been deployed into select portions of 16 states. The expansion, which occurs Nov. 1, will place the 1 TB usage limit in 30 markets, including parts of California and Texas, the notable exception being New York and the rest of the Northeast. 

A full list of covered regions is available in this Comcast FAQ.

In a company blog post, Comcast insists its Terabyte Internet Data Usage plan is more than a meal for 99 percent of its customers. 

For those who exceed the limit, the company said it will charge $10 a month for 50 gigabyte extra usage block. Total extra charges will not exceed $200, the company said. 

The MSO is letting users check their usage at will on this site. Subscribers can choose to receive text messages at selectable incremental cap usage points. For example, if you want to know when you’ve used 80 percent of your monthly data, all you have to do is configure your meter appropriately. 

With 1 TB, Comcast said, customers can stream up to 700 hours of HD video, or play online games for up to 12,000 hours. They can also stream 15,000 hours of digital music.

Of course, with far more consumptive technologies emerging — such as 4K/UltraHD and virtual reality — 1 TB might not cover the usage habits of anywhere near 99 percent of customers in the near future. 

For more:
- read this Comcast press release
- read this Verge story

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