Should ISPs should be able to limit or cut off your internet access for “overuse”? We won’t get to the heart of this matter until people start asking the right questions. And so with that in mind I wanted to summarize the key issues. I’m also going to include a few questions that will make any broadband provider squirm–because, frankly, there aren’t good answers. It’s my hope that all of you (including the press and politicians) will use these questions as a bit of a crib sheet, and challenge broadband providers when they duck answering them. It’s time to let consumers, press, and politicians continue this debate. And as much as my experience here has put a face on this issue, it isn’t about me-so I will purposely be stepping back a bit to let the real issues take center stage. So what is the key issue? Data caps are arbitrary and harm consumers by stifling innovation and choice. Depending on the broadband provider, a data cap might cause a consumer’s service to be throttled or perhaps be subject to surcharges for use over a certain limit. However, some ISPs actually cut service completely when a user exceeds their cap. As an example, let’s look at Comcast’s data cap (or “data cutoff.”) Comcast has never adequately explained how cutting a user completely off serves any legitimate purpose. To quote a letter sent to the FCC by Public Knowledge:
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=109259