I thought data caps for home internet were a thing of the past…

I’ve somewhat recently moved back to a very rural area of the Midwest. Small town. No stop lights. Biggest businesses other than the bars are Casey’s, Subway, and Dollar General.

And we have one ISP (not counting DSL) — Mediacom. When we first signed up, I had to go with the second service tier. But not because of speeds, but so I could have a reasonable 1 TB/mo data cap.

Lucky me, they increased the cap to 1.5 TB. 🙄

I hope that in my lifetime I can see ISPs regulated as a public utility.

  • Dataprolet
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    1391 year ago

    In Switzerland you get unlimited 10 Gbit/s for 50 bucks.

  • SirMaple_
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    851 year ago

    Data caps on home internet services should be illegal. They should also be much higher on mobile, but that’s a whole other topic.

    I have 940/940 Unlimited FTTH for $93.45(Canadian).

    • LazaroFilm
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      211 year ago

      And France gets 5Gbps for €30 per month or 8Gbps for €40 per month. I’m in the US now and really miss free.fr as my ISP

        • LazaroFilm
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          61 year ago

          I know right! Free.fr was a real disruptor. They fought the government to open telecom to private companies (it used to be France Telecom only which is gov owned) then they worked with the gov to create a fiber network that can be used my multiple ISP. So no running parallel lines from separate companies, they all create, maintain and share the same network all over the country. Before that, they started as the first free dialup internet service. You would call a number, and connect. You were paying with ads. They also were the first DSL speed, first TV over DSL, first FTTH, first VoIP, and they also have a cell phone network. And the prices are forcing all the other companies to align. We seriously need free.for in the US.

      • Awwab
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        -31 year ago

        What average consumer has hardware that’s actually capable of using more than 1Gbps?

        • @oktoberpaard@feddit.nl
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          81 year ago

          Average none, though 2.5 Gbps is getting more and more common and WiFi is catching up too. You could max out multiple slower devices at the same time without hitting the limit of your uplink. I don’t have a use case for that, so I’d only upgrade from my current 1 Gbps to higher speeds if the price is comparable. That doesn’t mean that others don’t have a use case for it.

        • @theoc@lemmy.world
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          21 year ago

          Most decent to higher end desktops have at least 2.5 Gbps. Even a laptop/desktop that doesn’t can get a 2.5 Gbps usb-c to ethernet dongle for like $30-$40.

          Higher end access points also have 2.5 Gbps. I have no issue maxing out my 1.5 Gbps (ISP over provisions the lines so I get 1.7 gbps) on Steam. Also keep in mind that when you have a faster connection with multiple devices/people, each device/person might be able to pull 1 Gbps. As in if you have 2 Gbps internet service even 2 older computers that only have a gigabit internet connection, each could get the full gigabit to them.

          If you’re the type of person that only uses wifi, you won’t see a difference between gigabit and multigigabit connections but plenty of people have ethernet throughout their homes and they make use of faster than gigabit connections.

    • @grue@lemmy.world
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      71 year ago

      Data caps on home internet services should be illegal. They should also be much higher on mobile, but that’s a whole other topic.

      I’m not convinced mobile deserves to have caps at all, either!

      As far as I’m concerned, there’s no reason to limit the amount of data transfer except in times of congestion, and I also don’t see any reason the amount of data transferred during un-congested times should have any bearing on who gets throttled.

    • @theoc@lemmy.world
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      21 year ago

      You’re way overpaying. I pay $40 for 1.5 Gbps with Bell FTTH. Give them a call and say it’s too expensive and see what they can do for you. Or tell them Rogers (if they’re in your area) offered you 1.5gbps for $60 and ask if they can beat that.

      As for mobile, you should look at new plans. $39 gets you 20 GB $50 gets you 40 GB. Seems like plenty of data imo https://www.koodomobile.com/en/rate-plans?INTCMP=KM_HDD_2023_Plans_RatePlans_40gbfor45_ROC_MBSK

      Best time to get a mobile plan is Black Friday, should be even better deals by then.

  • Dettweiler
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    771 year ago

    Home internet data caps WERE a thing of the past when Obama appointed Tom Wheeler as FCC chairman, who then pushed rulings to classify ISPs as a public utility and started enforcing net neutrality. Companies that didn’t play ball started getting fined until they fell in line. Being a former executive for a major ISP, he was very familiar with the anti-competitive practices and underhanded tricks those companies had been using for years; and he used those practices against them to finally make some pro-consumer progress for internet access in the US.

    Then, Trump came in and put Ajit Pai in charge of the FCC (no joke, my phone kept auto correcting his name to Shit Pie). Anyways, Shit Pie tore down those rulings and undid all those years of progress as part of the Trump administration’s anti-Obama initiative. Even though it was proven time and again that what he did was directly against public opinion, and that ISPs were flooding the public commentary with bot posts(some even made by dead people); Shit Pie continued to meme about himself and drink from an obnoxiously large Reese’s coffee mug while doing so. At this point, every provider of internet services has added back data caps in the US, and they have continued to increase their prices to maintain that 99.9% profit margin. They’ve also locked down more areas to prevent municipal broadband services from forming, and they’re even pushing for legislation to prevent them from ever happening.

    The current administration has done absolutely nothing. In fact, they’ve been so unremarkable, I have no idea who is in charge of the FCC, and I don’t feel like looking it up.

  • @Ryan@programming.dev
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    571 year ago

    In Thailand I’m getting 400Mbps upload and download with unlimited data.

    It costs about 300฿/mo ≈ $8.7/mo

      • @GillyGumbo@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Median income is $23k in Thailand. $31k in US. It definitely doesn’t make up the difference.

        Edit: Used Personal income for US and Household for Thailand. It actually doesn’t bring the gap significantly closer.

        • @Earthwormjim91@lemmy.world
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          111 year ago

          Why are you using median household income for Thailand and median personal income for the US?

          Median household income in the US is $71,000.

      • @Ryan@programming.dev
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        1 year ago

        Although I agree that people get paid less here, I highly doubt that it costs an ISP in the US 8x more to transfer data than an ISP in Thailand.

        I’m not really trying to argue that Thai internet is cheap, it’s that internet elsewhere is exorbitantly expensive.

      • @duncesplayed@lemmy.one
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        11 year ago

        What kind of rube works in the same country they live in? I met a lot of WFH workers when I visited Thailand, and not a single one of them was working for a company in Thailand.

    • @lud@lemm.ee
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      41 year ago

      I have luckily never heard about data caps in Scandinavia except for mobile broadband.

      Do they even exist at all, here?

      • @croizat@lemmy.ml
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        11 year ago

        I had a friend years ago that had a cap, but that was literally the only one I’ve heard of in my life here (Sweden)

      • @Nioxic@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        11 year ago

        My first (fast) internet connection was 1 Mbit.

        We had 1gb to download per month. This cap disappeared when more competitors showed up though (i had that cap around … 2001)

        I havnt seen a data cap for internet connections since. I am not aware of any either. Except for mobile phones. Though, they also have unlimited data for those , if you want. (I have. Just so i never have to worry about it ever again)

  • Retro
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    311 year ago

    Yeah, the ISP cartels sucks. I’ve been stuck paying $170/mo for uncapped 1000/35mbps connection.

    Thankfully, before the end of the year, a local ISP is moving into my area. They offer uncapped symmetrical gigabit, for $75/mo… I’ll be saving $95/mo for BETTER service.

    The longstanding ISP cartels should seriously be punished for the abuse of their market positions and failure to appropriately use government funding they’ve been given.

      • @Hexarei@programming.dev
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        21 year ago

        Yeah that’s abysmal, but it’s a result of the fact that docsis has always been an asymmetrical standard in which upload speeds are lower than download. I recently moved house and my old ISP was fiber to prem, we had symmetrical gigabit. New house is cable ISP that only offers 1000/50… While docsis 3.0 supports up to 200mbps up. Bunch of greedy bastards.

    • @BluePhoenix01@sh.itjust.works
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      21 year ago

      Same boat here… and then the “default cap” is nothing. Between work and family, we hit the data cap of 1.25TB within three weeks.

      Any place I can find more info about the “end of the year” timeframe you mentioned? A new ISP is also rolling in my area, but their site has been vague on time.

      The main street into our house currently has it available, but our actual address not yet… driving me a little crazy.

      Hope the new one is available for you soon.

  • z3bra
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    1 year ago

    I’m reading all the comments and I’m shocked… In France, with uncapped access and 1Gbps down/600Mbps up (theorical) I pay 40€/mo (30€ every six month when I call to complain that it’s too expensive). And it’s definitely not the cheapest provider.

    That’s insane !

    • @lidstah@lemmy.sdf.org
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      81 year ago

      1Gbps down/700Mbps up here, 35€/month (another french provider), no data caps - for 5 bucks/month more I could have 5Gbps down/1Gbps up, but… well, my home network is still using 1Gbps switches - but all the cabling was built with 10Gbps in mind.

      Data caps are pure robbery. We run a non-profit ISP/hosting platform and a non-profit IXP with friends in West France, the only thing you pay (and the only thing end users should have to pay) is goddamn bandwidth.

    • @Buddahriffic@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Interesting that they give you more up than down. Are you on a server plan or something like that?

      Edit: lol just noticed what community this is, server plan makes more sense now.

      • z3bra
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        31 year ago

        I messed up, that’s the opposite actually ^^

    • 𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒏
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      11 year ago

      (30€ every six month when I call to complain that it’s too expensive)

      Sounds like a Liberty Global owned telecom company… they love their annual price increases ugh, but they are usually the fastest option in most areas

  • voxel
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    211 year ago

    lol uncapped 500mbps fiber (actual fiber directly to your house) connection is 10-12$/month in Ukraine

  • @Baku@aussie.zone
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    171 year ago

    Looking at all you guys with your gigabit connections, meanwhile I’m in Aus and lucky to get 30 down and 15 up

  • @rizoid@midwest.social
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    171 year ago

    I was very close to closing on a house in rural midwest but I checked isp’s and every one available had caps so I just stayed away.

    • LogicBomb ⚙️💣
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      21 year ago

      Great internet is also a deciding factor for us while looking for our next rural midwest home! I use the FCC Broadband Map and availability searches on local ISP websites to confirm available speeds and no data caps. We passed on some great homes because of slow/no internet or data caps.

      Our current rural midwest home has 940x35 w/o data caps from a cable-based (DOCSIS 3.1) ISP for $34.99/month. I’m sure they will increase the price after 12 months. When the time comes, I’ll call them again to complain and get a decent price again.

    • Jikal
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      21 year ago

      Good choice. I live in the rural midwest and the only thing that’ll reach (even though we’re in the flatlands) is a WISP we pay $170 a month for 12/6. No data caps, but it’s slow as shit. At least it’s not satellite so we can still play games online fairly reliably but damn.

  • @CatTrickery@lemmy.world
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    151 year ago

    I live in the UK and currently have copper cable at about 60mbps for £60 per month. I thought what I had was bad because I have a friend who gets 1gbps for £30 a few miles away.

    • @art101@lemmy.world
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      31 year ago

      Where the hell in the UK are you? I’m in the North and pay £26 for 60mbps but get more like 70 due to how close I am to the street cabinet though I haven’t even got copper cable here, just crappy aluminium that is so old I think Alexander Graham Bell himself fitted them.

      • @CatTrickery@lemmy.world
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        11 year ago

        I’m in the north-west but I’m limited to BT because nobody else has cables down yet. A different company claims to be fitting FttP round here in a few months though.

        • @art101@lemmy.world
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          11 year ago

          Similar issue here, full fibre roll out is estimated to be complete in 2025.

          I’m just outside Newcastle on the coast and could get Virgin but my neighbours have had a nightmare with it.

          They only rolled out their fibre about three months ago so there might be issues with that

        • @fox2263@lemmy.world
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          11 year ago

          So it’s my impression that (and my knowledge might be out of date here) but almost anywhere that BT is then there should be at least 1 other company that operates on their lines (or rather Openreaches line, after they were split out of BT for competition purposes) so you should be able to get someone else with luck.

          Try using Sam knows website and they tell lots about your line and what you can get.

  • Xusontha
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    151 year ago

    Where I am, there was only one provider of internet for a long time, and I was paying for a plan that’s more or less what you have right now. Then another company came in and laid fiber, and both companies slashed prices and now I get over double my download speed, no data cap, and something crazy like 50x the old upload speed all for like 20 dollars less a month! Before I switched to the fiber company, the first company even increased my download speeds without increasing the price! Anyone who says competition doesn’t change things is crazy.