Why Comcast is pushing broadband data caps that nobody wants

In case you didn’t know, Comcast this fall started a trial run of capped broadband plans in several markets in the south, including major markets like Atlanta, Nashville and Charleston. The lowest data caps are set at 300GB per month, which the company believes should be enough for the vast majority of its users. [...] So why is Comcast really doing this? As Coolio once prophetically rapped all those years ago, it’s about “power in the money, money in the power.” The money part is easy: Comcast would love to be able to hit so-called “data hogs” with overage fees. The power part comes if the Federal Communications Commission gives Comcast the green light to charge content providers more for Internet “fast lanes.” In fact, it’s easy to imagine a scenario where companies that pay for the “fast lanes” also get their services’ data excluded from Comcast’s market caps, just as AT&T has been trying to do with its “sponsored data” program. [...] What Comcast is trying to gage here is just how far they can push people into accepting data caps before they just throw up their hands and go back to dialup. The best thing consumers can do is just refuse to take any of Comcast’s capped data offers, no matter how much of a “bargain” the company is pitching them as. Otherwise, you’ll rue the day you decided to take the deal that forced you to pay overage fees for watching one too many shows over Netflix. - Brad Reed,BGR [via/web:http://streaming-tv.us]