Report: Comcast considers usage caps and overage fees

Broadband Reports posted information yesterday provided by an "insider" claiming that Comcast is in the early development stages of a 250 GB-per-month bandwidth cap that will charge users a fee when passed.

For every 10 GB over the 250 GB limit they consume, Comcast would charge $15, says the source. Early tests could begin in as little as one or two months, and would have an appreciable effect only the top one percent of downloaders. This one percent amounts to about 14,000 customers of Comcast's 14.1 million.

In addition to throttling peer-to-peer traffic, Comcast's current traffic shaping methods also involve the termination of customers' accounts who have suspiciously high bandwidth consumption. While there is no known official limit, those found in violation receive an official letter explaining their disconnection without actually saying how over the limit they were.

In a generic response to the source's disclosure, the company stated, "Comcast is currently evaluating this service and pricing model to ensure we deliver a great online experience to our customers. We have not made any changes to our current service offerings and have no new announcement to make at this time."

Though noncommittal in language, Comcast's reply does affirm that such a plan does exist within the company's walls, at least in the phase where its viability can be tested.