If this happens, I will seriously flip

[Rxx]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/technology/15cable.html?em&ex=1213675200&en=c6d733109a942783&ei=5087%0A
:thumbdown:

[dtravis7]

Thanks for posting that. I have heard rumors of this for a long time now. Looks like the Big 3 might actually try to impose some limits on us! I will very angry if they do as I really do not have a lot of $$$ to work with as it is and I don't go hog wild and download everything in sight.

I guess we will have to wait and see how far they go.

[Peter Craddock]

Weird. I grew up in a world of broadband limits. Here in Belgium, the standard ADSL plan is for 30GB/month. At least, that's how I understand it.

That said, iTunes Movies is absent here, and in my family we've never been big time downloaders (except for the odd huge download), so we've never exceeded the limit (to the best of my knowledge).

Different culture, I guess.

[iBones]

Hey why not? $6/gal, higher grocery bills, more expensive shipping options -- Internet companies are probably saying "hey what about us?"...This would be a serious bummer. I sure hope it doesn't happen.

[PapaNoHair]

I join the chorus of "hoping it doesn't happen." Yes Peter it is a different culture - we are not used (generally speaking) of being restricted on things and recently this has popped up in a lot of areas. That makes it especially frustrating. Somehow we are going to have to take back our government and start restoring freedoms.

[Brown Study]

Historically, expectations of unlimited use in North America goes back, probably, to 1870 and the landline telephone.

We've paid for it by the month, not by the local call. I remember that when cell phones were introduced — with their per-call charges — I thought of it as being the thin edge of the wedge and wondered when paying for each local landline call would happen. Perhaps the expected outcry prevented it. But now, because of the very few phone/ISP companies being, in effect, a monopoly, they can do what they want and devil take the hindmost.

[Rxx]

I view the internet like a big house with lots of different rooms. I pay to access that house. But now they are telling me that they are going to limit my time in that house.

According to that report, 5% of the internet users take up about 50% of the network. They have some sort of argument there, but putting a 40 Gb cap on the rest of us isnt going to solve anything.

Really what they are doing, is dumbing down the value of the internet. Online companies will suffer. And advertisements online will not be worth as much. People wont spend as much time on the web, that simple. Think of it like text messages. Even if your limit is very very high, more than you will ever use even, you still dont want to waste them to approach your maximum and risk overages. You are ten fold less likely "stumble upon" random, cool websites. Your more likely, to just do what you have to do, and not wonder around too much. Before you download a movie, or spend some time on youtube, you might just think twice about it. Renting one movie from iTunes could put a serious dent in your monthly limit. Services like Xbox Live, and the PS3 Network will take a beating to the number of gamers online playing. Dumbing down the gaming industry. There is just alot of negatives here, considering they are just complaining about torrent users.

[Brown Study]

There is just alot of negatives here, considering they are just complaining about torrent users.A handy excuse.

[Mac0sXuser]

This would suck. Reminds me of when Bill Gates wanted to charge for each e-mail message sent.

[JohnTheMacGeek]

I don't think there's a way of stopping it. All ISPs will employ some sort of limitations eventually. It's just too bad they are setting the limits too low.

[Ryan]

Wow this sucks....I really hope this doesn't happen.

[Rxx]

Well, the way to fight it would be to have a large amount of customers protest by actually cancelling their service. Which is highly unlikely. Also, the company that does not go through with this will probably be the one to actually have the most customers. The only problem with that is that's the companies that the torrent users would flock to. Its hard to beat.

[MaDDoG]

I'm paying $75 per month for 25 gig. They count the upload and download amounts.

[Rxx]

How much would you say you use the internet? Do you ever approach your limit per month?

[MaDDoG]

I used to thats why I went from 12 gig to 25 per month.....I have a teenage daughter you know :blink:

[iBones]

This thread is very depressing.

[Peter Craddock]

I join the chorus of "hoping it doesn't happen." Yes Peter it is a different culture - we are not used (generally speaking) of being restricted on things and recently this has popped up in a lot of areas. That makes it especially frustrating. Somehow we are going to have to take back our government and start restoring freedoms.

Heh. I would argue it's what's best for you (well, some restrictions), but that's me and my "freedom needs to have its limits" mentality.
And thinking about it, I do see that this mentality of "no limits to our freedom" does explain a lot of things I either dislike or wonder about in the US. Weird.

[Rxx]

I used to thats why I went from 12 gig to 25 per month.....I have a teenage daughter you know :blink:

Well, at least it sounds like not to many of us will be approaching the limit.

But I do feel sorry for all those gamers out there