Hi Folks,
As I know that some of you are with Comcast and are part of the NLS library
program, or are part of torrents, or worse, belong to seven hundred and fifty
lists that amount to a tonne of messages per month, with permission from David,
the below information should interest you.
***Original Message***
What is excessive use?
Excessive use means bandwidth or data usage that is significantly higher
than typical residential usage. Excessive use is very atypical - less than
1% of Comcast customers today use an excessive amount of data. Excessive
users consume so much data that the usage could negatively impact the online
service for other customers.
Comcast has heard from customers who have requested that a number be
provided to clarify what the company defines as excessive use. Comcast
listened, and recently announced that it will implement a new threshold for
data usage. As of October 1, 2008, data usage above 250 GB/month per
Comcast High-Speed Internet residential customer account will be considered
excessive. To reach 250 GB in a month, for example, a customer would have
to do any of the following:
Send 50 million emails (at 0.05 KB/email)
Download 62,500 songs (at 4 MB/song)
Download 125 standard-definition movies (at 2 GB/movie)
Upload 25,000 hi-resolution digital photos (at 10 MB/photo)
The following Frequently Asked Questions are intended to help clarify what
Comcast means by excessive use and how it handles excessive use situations.
What is Comcast's approach to Excessive Use?
Comcast has an excessive use program to provide a high-quality service for
all of its customers. The company uses reasonable network management
practices that are consistent with industry standards. Comcast maintains an
Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") located at http://www.comcast.net/terms/use/
for its Comcast High-Speed Internet Service customers. The AUP discloses
what constitutes unaccpetable conduct and uses of the service. The AUP
includes requirements regarding data usage that all Comcast customers and
users of the service must follow.
Comcast determines excessive usage in relation to typical residential uses
of its service. The company does so in order to identify truly excessive
use while not impacting the vast majority of Comcast customers - more than
99% - who use the service as intended.
What is data usage or bandwidth usage?
Data usage, also known as bandwidth usage, is the amount of data, such as
images, movies, photos, videos, and other files that customers send,
receive, download or upload over a specific period of time. Data usage is
not the same as the speed of an Internet service. For example, a typical
customer who uses the service to send and receive email, surf the Internet,
and watch streaming video may consume 2-3 Gigabytes ("GB") of data in a
month; while another customer who uploads or downloads 1,000 pictures in a
month may use 10GB. In both cases, however, the speed of each customer's
service could be the same (for example, 6 Megabits per second ("Mbps")
downstream and 1 Mbps upstream).
Does Comcast use a monthly data usage threshold to determine excessive use?
Comcast will initiate a 250 GB monthly data usage threshold for all
residential Comcast High-Speed Internet accounts. This threshold will be in
place to provide a clear definition of what would constitute as excessive
use of the service.
The new monthly data usage threshold will go into effect starting October 1,
2008.
Why is Comcast going to provide a monthly data usage threshold for its
residential high-speed Internet users?
Comcast has been evaluating a monthly data usage threshold for quite some
time and it has heard from high-speed Internet customers who have asked that
it provide a specific number for excessive use. By providing a specific
monthly data usage threshold, Comcast hopes to provide more clarification to
its customers about what would qualify as excessive use.
When will the 250 GB monthly data usage threshold be put into effect?
Comcast will initiate the 250 GB monthly data usage threshold starting
October 1, 2008.
What will happen if a customer exceeds 250 GB of data usage in a month?
The vast majority - more than 99% - of Comcast customers will not be
impacted by a 250 GB monthly bandwidth or data usage threshold. If a
customer exceeds more than 250 GB and is one of the heaviest data users who
consume the most data on our high-speed Internet service, he or she may
receive a call from Comcast's Customer Security Assurance ("CSA") group to
notify them of excessive use. At that time, Comcast will tell the customer
exactly how much data per month he or she had used.
If a customer surpasses 250 GB and is one of the top users of the service
for a second time within a six-month timeframe, his or her service will be
subject to termination for one year. After the one year period expires, the
customer may resume service by subscribing to a service plan appropriate to
his or her needs.
Will all customers who exceed 250 GB of data usage in a month be identified
as excessive users?
Yes, Comcast is setting 250 GB as the residential data usage threshold for
excessive use. Customers who exceed 250 GB and are among the top users of
Comcast's high-speed Internet service may get contacted by Comcast about
their excessive use.
How will a monthly data usage threshold change Comcast's policy on excessive
use?
Comcast's overall policy on excessive use will remain the same - the only
change will be that Comcast will provide a monthly data usage threshold
starting on October 1. By providing a specific monthly data usage threshold,
Comcast hopes to provide more clarification to its customers about what
would qualify as excessive use.
Why did Comcast choose 250 GB as its data usage threshold?
250 GB is far beyond the current median of data usage for a typical
residential Internet customer in a month, so this amount of data
accommodates any reasonable definition of typical monthly usage.
To reach 250 GB in a month, for example, a customer would have to do any of
the following:
Send 50 million emails (at 0.05 KB/email)
Download 62,500 4 MB songs (at 4 MB/song)
Download 125 standard-definition movies (at 2 GB/movie)
Upload 25,000 hi-resolution digital photos (at 10 MB/photo)
What is normal or typical use?
Bandwidth usage changes over time as Comcast's customers use the Internet
and the services and applications available for it. Currently, the median
data usage by Comcast High-Speed Internet customers is approximately 2-3 GB
each month. This reflects typical residential use of the service for
purposes such as sending and receiving e-mail, surfing the Internet, and
watching streaming video.
How is Comcast notifying its customers about the 250 GB/month data usage
threshold?
Comcast is taking a number of steps to notify its customers:
Comcast has posted a preview (in PDF format) of the amended AUP on its
Network Management page as well as an overview and a link to updated FAQs.
Comcast is also running banners on its Comcast.net home page as well as on
its Security Channel Web page directing customers to the Network Management
Web page.
Finally, Comcast will also notify its customers directly by including an
insert (also called a bill stuffer) in an upcoming monthly billing statement
that the amended AUP will officially go into effect on October 1st.
Do I need to worry that I may be an excessive user?
There are very few excessive users. The vast majority - more than 99% - of
Comcast customers are not excessive users and never need to be concerned
with excessive use. Comcast currently identifies well less than 1% of
Comcast High-Speed Internet customers as excessive users each month. Here
are some additional facts to keep in mind based on Comcast's current
policies:
95% of service customers could increase their data usage many times over and
still not be considered an excessive user
An excessive user who is a residential customer greatly exceeds a typical
small business customer's usage.
Many excessive users consume more data than a business-class T1 line running
at full capacity in a month.
How does Comcast help customers who have been identified as excessive users?
Comcast's experience shows that some customers identified as excessive users
were not aware of the activity that caused the excessive use. For example,
after being notified by Comcast some customers identify another person in
their household, such as a child or roommate, who uses the service in ways
that generate excessive use. In other cases, a customer's personal computer
may be compromised by a virus or spyware that uses the computer to send
large amounts of spam or perform repeated bulk transfers of large files.
Still other customers may be using our residential High-Speed Internet
service for a commercial or business purpose and not the intended
residential purpose. In each of these situations, and many others, Comcast
is able to help the customer identify and address the cause of the excessive
use made with his or her account. In fact, most customers identified as
excessive users change their usage patterns or make other adjustments and
continue to use the service. Only a small fraction of the tiny number of
users who are identified as excessive users ever have their service
terminated for one year because of continued excessive use.
Does this mean that you monitor what specific activities customers are doing
with their Internet accounts?
No. Comcast determines aggregate data usage. The company does not monitor
specific customer activities on the Internet in order to identify excessive
users. It looks for data usage in the aggregate and then it will identify
those customer accounts that have used more than 250 GB in the month.
Do you offer usage tiers based on bandwidth consumption?
No. Comcast currently offers varying speed plans for its residential
service as well as several business level services to support customers'
individual needs.
How does Comcast help its customers track their usage so they can avoide
exceeding the limit?
There are many online tools customers can download and use to measure their
consumption. Customers can find such tools by simply doing a Web search -
for example, a search for "bandwidth meter" will provide some options.
Customers using multiple PCs should just be aware that they will need to
measure and combine their total monthly usage in order to identify the data
usage for their entire account.
Is it possible that someone could fall victim to a hacker or bandwidth
hijacker, which could look like excessive use?
Yes. In a small number of instances, Comcast finds that outsiders
exploiting a customer's personal computer and High-Speed Internet service
may cause excessive use. For example, a customer using an unsecured wi-fi
or wireless connection in an apartment building could have his or her
service used by another tenant in the building. Or, a customer's computer
may be compromised with a virus or spyware used to send large amounts of
spam or perform repeated bulk transfers of large files. The company will
work with customers in these and similar situations to secure their
computers and services wherever possible. You can read more about security
at the Comcast Security Channel located at http://security.comcast.net/.
Victor
Co-moderator
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