AT&T to cap broadband usage. Streamers beware


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AT&T will cap broadband usage. What will this mean to those of us that stream music all day from Pandora and Rhapsody or other internet radio stations? Those of you that stream movies from NetFlix like I do, look out for a price increase on your upcoming AT&T bills.

AT&T Article
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128x128mitch4t
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I have never checked my usage because I had unlimited. I
pretty much exclusively listen to my SqueezeBox as an audio
source via streaming. I rarely play an LP or a cd any more.
I view a lot of movies streamed via NetFlix. If I find out
that it's going to cost me a lot more than what I've been
paying, I'm certainly going to find another internet
provider. Besides, AT&T has ripped me off in so many other
ways so many times, I should have left them years ago.
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Once it starts in time this will be industry norm so good luck shopping around. People who suck alot of bandwidth should pay more. They never cared when they as a group slowed down things for everyone else.
Oh what a can 'o worms.
There are only a few who use a monumental amount of broadband and for those I say, why not. But it will not end there. The internet will be over regulated and monopolized to the point that hackers will retaliate. It should remain free, open and unfettered save for the hogs but they would be easy to regulate.

In France, and other European countries, they get several times the bandwidth, local and long distance phone service, and about twice as many HD channels as we do and it costs them a whopping 35Euro/month. Or so I've been told. Correct me if I'm wrong.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100304002139AAHmOYP

They admit that the first to lay down the cable should be compensated but that's the end of it. Open and free competition allows lots of users and suppliers which brings down the costs. Isn't that how we should be operating? Instead, we allow monopolies that restrict competition and drive up the price.
I'm all for competition in the truest sense.
Elizabeth,

your price will not go down and others will only go up.

All this does is open up other providers to under cut At&t or change the same inflated rates.