Comcast Adding Data Caps In Some States

Comcast is planning to introduce a new data cap on Xfinity Internet plans starting next year in northeastern states that previously did not have a cap. After the move is implemented, customers will be billed an extra fee for every 50GB above the cap they use in a given month.

Cord Cutters News reports that the changes will apply in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Vermont, and West Virginia. Those states did not have a data cap before, due to their area competition with Verizon Fios. The cap will be set at 1.2TB, and the policy will begin on January 1, 2021.

During January and February, the company will give credit for any overage charges to help get customers accustomed to the new cap. After that point, customers will be charged $10 for additional 50GB blocks, up to a total of $100.

Comcast has said that only about 5% of its customers use this amount of data. It offered some stats about how much that data equates to--500 hours of HD video and 34,000 hours of online games--but that doesn't take into account the sometimes large download sizes of current video games and patches. If you download lots of games in a given month, you may need to watch your cap more closely.

Comcast has responded to criticism through its social media with a tweet saying the new changes are "based on a principle of fairness."

It went over about as well as you'd expect.