I read an interesting blog this week on Comcast’s usage limits that went into effect on October 1st. The Comcast cap limits people to 250 GB of data per month. The Comcast FAQ doesn’t say if it’s download + upload or just download (since download is the bulk of the data), so I’ll assume it’s both for now.
My first reaction was “that’s ridiculous”. I should get unlimited download levels. I work from home often and do a lot of e-mail, applications, VoIP, and desktop video conferencing. I might go right by that 250 GB limit. Then I get the phone calls from the Comcast police force.
But then the more rational side of me started thinking. 250 GB is a lot of data. My home PC only has a 70 GB hard drive and even with all the songs, videos, applications, and files on it, I’ve only used 50 GB. So, I did a little test.
I worked from home on Wednesday and was VPN’d into work all day. I was connected for 16.3 hours and transferred 659,794,581 bytes. It was about 2:1 download to upload:
30 GB! That’s it? Wow, that’s not that much. And that assumes I work from home everyday for an entire month. Plenty of room to spare. What if I work a normal schedule (Mon-Fri), but still always from home (21 days):
Even if I triple this usage to cover my home PC I’m still not even to 50% of the limit. 250 GB is a lot of data.
So, I have to admit, this limit doesn’t concern me. This appears to be a valid rule instituted by a private company to protect its limited resources. If you don’t like it, you’re welcome to buy DSL. And broadband is extremely nice, but not a right in this country, you can go without (perish the thought, though!)
Of course, this rule really doesn’t bother me since I have Time Warner’s Road Runner…but it made for a good blog. 😉
More >From the Field blog entries:
Cisco’s Arrogance Bugs Me Again
Your Team Organization is Just as Important as Your Standards
