After upping the cap in trials of usage-based broadband pricing in Cleveland, Cox Communications announced it is expanding the trials to Georgia and Florida.
The MSO revealed the expansion earlier this week in a company FAQ explaining its data policy, an update that Multichannel News first spotted.
"Yes, we are exploring use-based billing and we have now expanded the trial to include Cleveland, Georgia and Florida," a Cox rep told FierceCable.
“Cox began implementing data usage billing in Ohio in 2015,” the FAQ said. “Beginning in October 2016, Cox is expanding data usage billing to include the Florida and Georgia service areas. In all other markets, Cox does not currently charge additional fees if your data plan is exceeded.”
RELATED: Cox ups data usage cap to 1 TB
The policy charges customers $10 for every 50 GB by which they exceed their cap. It also includes a two-month grace period before charges are incurred.
Two weeks ago, Cox upped the usage limit to all of its broadband plans in its Cleveland trial to 1 Terabyte or more, keeping with an industry strategy that appears to center on avoiding regulatory scrutiny.
The 1 TB usage limit applies to every Cox data tier – from the 5 Mbps “Starter” package to the 300 Mbps “Ultimate.” The 1 Gbps “Gigablast” service has a cap of 2 TB that remains intact.
“Yes, it’s pretty straightforward. We are raising data plans in all our markets to 1 TB in nearly all packages,” said Cox spokesman Todd Smith.
Cox’s move follows similar terabyte usage strategies deployed by Comcast and AT&T. And it’s marketing language is pretty similar, too: “Approximately 99 percent of Cox customers are currently on a data plan that more than adequately meets their monthly household needs,” the company said on a page announcing the move.