Comcast Details Updated Acceptable Use Policy

Its 250 Gigabyte Monthly Max Takes Effect Oct. 1.

Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) has begun notifying its Internet customers of changes to its Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), including the 250 gigabytes monthly usage maximum, that it says will take effect October 1.

In a service-related e-mail to customers, the cableco said in the updated AUP, “we clarify that monthly data (or bandwidth) usage of more than 250 Gigabytes (GB) is the specific threshold that defines excessive use of our service.”

The company adds that it has an excessive use policy “because a fraction of one percent of our customers use such a disproportionate amount of bandwidth every month that they may degrade the online experience of other customers.”

The news comes against a backdrop of an ongoing battle between Comcast and the FCC over bandwidth throttling and what to do about it. The cableco was caught throttling P2P traffic, which again raised net neutrality issues, angering public interests groups and citizen’s rights organizations, among others.

Terming 250 gigabytes a month “an extremely large amount of bandwidth,” Comcast claims the threshold is “approximately 100 times greater than the typical or median residential customer usage, which is two to three gigabytes per month.”

Also in the notification e-mail, Comcast said online gamers “should know that even the heaviest multi- or single-player gaming activity would typically not come close to this threshold over the course of a month.”

In addition to modifying the excessive use policy, the updated AUP contains other clarifications of terms concerning reporting violations, newsgroups, and network management, according to the cable giant.

In a frequently asked questions (FAQ) form linked to the email, Comcast explains that if a customer exceeds 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 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.”

However, Comcast adds, if a customer surpasses 250 gigabytes “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.” The cableco added that, after the one year period expires, “the customer may resume service by subscribing to a service plan appropriate to his or her needs.”

Related Articles:

FCC Demands Traffic Management Details from Comcast

Comcast Scolded for P2P Throttling, Ordered to Stop

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