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Your Data Usage is in Danger

Updated on April 22, 2016

Is unlimited data plans actually unlimited? Well, of course! But, most ISP and phone companies use a cap or limit of unlimited data. For instance, let’s say your unlimited plan actually limits you to 10 GB a month of data (of course, they will tell you this) and you are happy until one day you receive a message from them. They say you have exceeded the data limit. You think, huh, I thought it was unlimited? Further, they tell you your data limit is now capped or throttled back. When you try to access a website or stream anything, it is futile. It takes forever making for impossible use. So, while you do have unlimited data, it is at a speed that renders streaming or being on the web useless. Or, they will charge you for the additional data at the fast speed. Both Comcast and AT&T charge $10 for an additional 50GB.

Comcast internet customers each have 250 GB limit, that is more than plenty, you would think. But once you have watched 50 movies, it is consumed. Comcast is now planning to raise the limit to 300 GB because families using online services can easily reach the limit. According to Comcast, over two million customers use over 300 GB a month and demand grows for all ISP. But heavy users are paying more and with Comcast, 50% of its bandwidth is consumed by 10% of its customers. Customers at ATT now must pay $30 extra for unlimited data.

Some use Sling to avoid cable TV. At $20 a month, it seems way cheaper than a $80 Comcast bill. But streaming over the Internet is now controlled by a few giants and they charge excessive amounts for broadband and customers go back to cable TV.

Watching 5 hours of HD streaming uses 375 GB of data, excluding any other Internet use. Netflix will reduce the video quality to save bandwidth pixelating the image some. As people try to cut the cord and breakaway from cable TV costs, the big bandwidth companies, like, Comcast and ATT, are charging more for bandwidth to companies like Netflix, as well as customers who go over the data limit.

Data usage is generally as follows:

  • One hour of a TV show via Netflix – 1 GB
  • An hour of YouTube videos to your computer – 800 MB
  • Streaming music to your cell phone – 45 MB
  • Watching a one hour TV show streamed to cell phone – 840 MB
  • Watching live TV using Sling TV – 533 MB
  • Watching a two hour movie – 2 GB.

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