Posted 11/08/2008 at 11:20:02pm

It was only a matter of time before Big Telecom and Cable got in on the capping game.  I have already seen this with wireless broadband.  I work tech support for a very large wireless provider who was the first to market with the 5GB broadband cap.  They go on and on about how much money they loose with unlimited access and how no one could ever go over 5GB per month because they did the research and the average was less than 5GB (im so sure).  All of a sudden they have a 5GB plan with overage charges of $0.25/MB.  If you are doing the math that's $256.00/GB in overage charges.  And like magic everyone and their grandmother suddenly have hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars in overage charges all while under contract and there is nothing they can do about it except pay your bill by the date or go to collections.  Now the company turns around and offers a way to "save" these poor customers by offering a 10GB plan... For $199.99!  $199.99!? really? for 10GB...  this is not only an insult but robbery.  And the best part...  there is no way at all to track what is causing users to go over the limits.  So after months of outraged customers and countless disconnects a solution:  through money at the customer...  credit the overages until they are so far into contract that they can not get out without a penalty.   

 Basicly the Gov't was kind enough to legalize a monopoly for the big telecom and cable companies and allow them to split up the country and be the only game in town.  Its basicly 1 cable provider, 1 landline telecom for any given area of the country.  No choices and they know it. 

We are all high-speed broadband junkies and the telecom companies are the pushers and they know that we will line up for what they have regardless of the cost.  They did it in the dial-up days and they are going to do it again.  Just when technology starts moving forward the boardroom sets us all back 10years.