Comcast plans to only let me use the internet for 11 hours a month....

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momeNt

Diamond Member
Jan 26, 2011
9,290
352
126
Yes, but you missed the point I was making. I can't download 24x7. With a 300 Gb cap I can only download for 11 hours in an entire month! So with such a limited time online how can I be hurting anyone else. The very high speed keeps me either off the internet entirely for 59/60ths of a month. Or if I use just a tiny fraction of my speed I can stay on the whole month. But with the bandwidth doubled the 250 Gb. cap should be doubled.

Maybe comcast should give you 121 KB/sec. That would allow you to download 24x7 and just hit your cap! Would you be happier?
 

her209

No Lifer
Oct 11, 2000
56,336
11
0
Someone really needs to challenge Comcast on their bandwidth caps. Pretty sure it's against the agreed upon terms in the franchise agreement that they sign with the local municipality in order for them to be the sole cable operator in that area.
 

MixMasterTang

Diamond Member
Jul 23, 2001
3,167
176
106
I think you have failed at math though. 60 megabits per second will download at 7.5 megabytes a second. 450 megabytes in a minute, 2.7 gb per hour. So it's 111 hours.
 

Markbnj

Elite Member <br>Moderator Emeritus
Moderator
Sep 16, 2005
15,682
14
81
www.markbetz.net
Everywhere in Europe (and Asia too probably), people have fast, cheap and unlimited internet...

I can't imagine that's even close to true for Asia, and I have no doubt there are still plenty of places in Europe where it's not true either. If you mean inside the major metropolitan areas, then it might be true. I don't know how their plans are structured in other countries. The U.S. mainland is a really huge place, with a really low population density. Networks are expensive to build and maintain here, whether they are networks of wires, roads, rails, whatever.

As for the whole "can only download for 11 hours" point the OP made... let me know when you find a server that can fill your pipe. I can sometimes get 2-4 mbps from some servers, depending on time of day. I have never seen anything even close to 20 mbps across the public networks.
 

techs

Lifer
Sep 26, 2000
28,559
4
0
I think you have failed at math though. 60 megabits per second will download at 7.5 megabytes a second. 450 megabytes in a minute, 2.7 gb per hour. So it's 111 hours.

Maybe I did. I just downloaded a 1 Gb file at max speed and it took a little over 2 minutes. So, 300gb would be 600 minutes, plus a little. So I figured 11 hours.

Your calculation is roughly .5 Gb a minute. So, 600 minutes for 300 Gb. Thats 10 hours plus a little, equals 11 hours.

Seems my number is correct, or am I missing something?
 

Kev

Lifer
Dec 17, 2001
16,367
4
81
I can't imagine that's even close to true for Asia, and I have no doubt there are still plenty of places in Europe where it's not true either. If you mean inside the major metropolitan areas, then it might be true. I don't know how their plans are structured in other countries. The U.S. mainland is a really huge place, with a really low population density. Networks are expensive to build and maintain here, whether they are networks of wires, roads, rails, whatever.

As for the whole "can only download for 11 hours" point the OP made... let me know when you find a server that can fill your pipe. I can sometimes get 2-4 mbps from some servers, depending on time of day. I have never seen anything even close to 20 mbps across the public networks.

Couldn't you hit it if you max out on bittorrent connections?
 

dmcowen674

No Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
54,889
47
91
www.alienbabeltech.com
While I agree 300gb is enough for most people, I think the principle is the issue here... Why do you still have a download cap in 2012? Everywhere in Europe (and Asia too probably), people have fast, cheap and unlimited internet... Heck I live in Portugal which is pretty much a 2nd world country and Ive had unlimited internet since 2006 or something, dont even remember because its been so long

Poor Americans have shown they don't deserve access to the Internets.

It is reserved strictly for the rich.
 

Fenixgoon

Lifer
Jun 30, 2003
33,074
12,479
136
...wow and people wonder why they wan't to put in tiers. when you have someone bitching about going over 300gb a month

i disagree - more and more media is moving online. and as the quality of that media increases, the ease at which a bandwidth cap is reached will increase. essentially, hard bandwidth caps are going to limit the potential of the internet in the future.
 

techs

Lifer
Sep 26, 2000
28,559
4
0
As for the whole "can only download for 11 hours" point the OP made... let me know when you find a server that can fill your pipe. I can sometimes get 2-4 mbps from some servers, depending on time of day. I have never seen anything even close to 20 mbps across the public networks.

Actually I can find many servers capable of maxing out my connection.
Especially using things like download managers.
For about a total fo 2-3 hours a week I see a wee dropoff at peak times. But even that doesn't happen every week.
 

KLin

Lifer
Feb 29, 2000
30,232
574
126
Actually I can find many servers capable of maxing out my connection.
Especially using things like download managers.
For about a total fo 2-3 hours a week I see a wee dropoff at peak times. But even that doesn't happen every week.

uTorrent one of your download managers?
 

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,601
167
111
www.slatebrookfarm.com
Wow, if techs lived about 3 decades ago, he'd probably be one of those little old ladies who collected cats. Instead, he sounds like someone who collects movies that he'll never watch.

Yes, that's the point I am making.
I have a secondary 3 Mbit service I get essentially for free with my phone service. In order to download even 60 Gb a month I have to be on it continuosly downloading at full speed.

So, I am doing more to interfere with other peoples speeds with my much slower connection since I have to be on it far, far more to download a reasonable amount.

So, a 300 Gb cap on my 60 Mbit connection is bullshit because there is no way I am on it enough to interfere with other users.
You're joking, right? I ask, because I can't believe someone would seriously think that way.
 

techs

Lifer
Sep 26, 2000
28,559
4
0
You're joking, right? I ask, because I can't believe someone would seriously think that way.

I am serious. If bandwidth caps are in place to prevent someone from using their connection at high speed for long periods, therefore interfering with other users speeds, then once the speed gets great enough thats not a problem since due to the very high speeds users don't have to spend as much time downloading.

Simple math.
 

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
65,940
14,337
146
Good for the rest of us.

That series of tubes can only handle so much data at one time...allowing one person to hog it all is bad for the rest of the users.












:biggrin:

We had Comcast for a year. I don't think I ever used more than 5-10% of the bandwidth cap...but then again, I don't download movies or much of anything else.
 

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,601
167
111
www.slatebrookfarm.com
I am serious. If bandwidth caps are in place to prevent someone from using their connection at high speed for long periods, therefore interfering with other users speeds, then once the speed gets great enough thats not a problem since due to the very high speeds users don't have to spend as much time downloading.

Simple math.
You're forgetting one thing: You're not the only snowflake in the world.
 

Dumac

Diamond Member
Dec 31, 2005
9,391
1
0
Only in America do people accept data caps with smiling faces.

I wish I could get on google fiber.

250GB isn't that much. Games are often 25GB. Then there are movies and shows, etc.
 

Gooberlx2

Lifer
May 4, 2001
15,381
6
91
300GB * 8 = 2400Gb * 1024 = 2457600Mb

11 h = 39600 secs

2457600Mb / 39600 secs = ~62Mbps


Aside from 300GB being a pretty generous cap for most people, I doubt you'll find too many sources to continuously pull data from at ~60Mbps. 20 simultaneous sources at at 3Mbps maybe...but how often do you really do that?
 
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jlee

Lifer
Sep 12, 2001
48,518
223
106
Yes, but you missed the point I was making. I can't download 24x7. With a 300 Gb cap I can only download for 11 hours in an entire month! So with such a limited time online how can I be hurting anyone else. The very high speed keeps me either off the internet entirely for 59/60ths of a month. Or if I use just a tiny fraction of my speed I can stay on the whole month. But with the bandwidth doubled the 250 Gb. cap should be doubled.

Did your cost double?

I got 6mbps on my last speedtest with my cable provider...so you can stfu. :|
 

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,601
167
111
www.slatebrookfarm.com
And like a snowflake I am unique!

Unique in that you can't do what you call "simple math." Are you claiming that 4 people each maxing out their bandwidth for 1 hour each, consecutively, would make any realistic difference from all four using 1/4 of their bandwidth for 4 consecutive hours, as far as the impact on the network is concerned?