Another possible outcome could be the proliferation of tighter monthly
data usage caps.
In T - Mobile's case, it's an open program [with the cellphone company's Binge On offer, which exempts video services such as Netflix
from usage caps].
The high point came in 2012 when chief content officer Ted Sarandos famously compared Canada's low
Internet usage caps to a «almost a human rights violation.»
While faster speeds and
bigger usage caps are likely to eventually migrate into smaller towns and rural areas, bandwidth demands show no signs of slowing down.
4K streaming will prove taxing on broadband networks, especially in Canada
where usage caps are comparatively low to the rest of the world — Netflix's chief content officer Ted Sarandos has said the restrictions are «almost a human rights violation.»
Wallsten wrote that the arguments against
broadband usage caps — based as they are on the fact that data is incredibly cheap and continually dropping in price — are fallacious because they don't take into account basic economic principles.
Microsoft does warn that users will be the ones charged for usage fees from their Internet Service Provider, but at around 1gb / hour, most players could run the application six hours every day for a month at not reach the average 250 gb /
month usage cap.
Many rallied for Facebook to move Free Basics to limiting access with data
usage caps rather than restricting what can be visited, or to let users earn unrestricted access by viewing ads.
In many cases, rural households don't have the necessary speeds to stream high - definition video or they're saddled with low
monthly usage caps that don't play well with the heavy bandwidth demands that HD content such as House of Cards have.
Yet, with large Canadian ISPs / broadcasters increasingly exempting their own content
from usage caps, that's debatable.
They've already fought back against competing services with throttling,
usage caps and political lobbying.
The one question the CRTC isn't asking, and that everyone would like to answer, is: «Would you be in favour of regulations requiring internet providers to increase
their usage caps or eliminate them altogether?»
Is zero rating — i.e. internet providers discounting certain applications from
usage caps — an increasing phenomenon, or is it relatively rare?
It's enough to make the detached home dweller, who typically gets much slower speeds at considerably higher prices with a low
usage cap, weep.
Makes perfect sense and puts an end to the whole «but what if bad internet / always online single player /
usage caps» worries.
The Robin's data connection will be useful at times, but remember there's
a usage cap and that you won't always get a signal.
Real unlimited use, no fair usage policy or usage charges or
usage caps or peak rate slow downs.
Now, every network, including T - Mobile, strains the definition of «Unlimited,» and most include some kind of throttling and
usage cap.
It's a lot easier to run over
a usage cap if the connection is used for work as well, and exceeding the limits can mean extra charges or service restrictions.