Bandwidth speed is important of course, but this topic was about being penalized for using your bandwidth.

Craig, 
I'm going to need you to define "torture" before I can answer.
Are we talking GitMo tactics, or having them listen to the music that Comcast distributes and forces on us?
 
In other words, are you suggesting the "Saddam Hussain" or the "Manuel Noreiga?"
 
I know there are some "musicians" they stream who would be more painful than electrocution, but the delineation would be beneficial for an accurate judgement...

craigb
Bandwidth speed is important of course, but this topic was about being penalized for using your bandwidth.

The math is obviously different, but when I worked in wireless telecom we went thru great expense to make sure there was sufficient trunking and voice channel capacity to support seize/hold times.  Even as we moved to wireless data we had caps in place to ensure somebody wasn't setting up their own little ISP at our expense.  Of course the caps were really high as to only curtail the most egregious abuse of our good nature
 
At a given BW, the total data consumption in an internet pipe gives something approximately like voice seize/hold times.  Transport facilities and routing equipment aren't free.  As such, the networks aren't built to support 100% utilization.
 
I have no idea what total caps would make sense.  1TB sounds like a lot to me, but I'm not backing multiple terrabytes to the cloud either.
 

For me Comcast is horrible, but the best option for internet.
 
AT&T is horrible, criminal at best, but the best option for cell service.

Bflat5
For me Comcast is horrible, but the best option for internet.
 
AT&T is horrible, criminal at best, but the best option for cell service.

That's about right... and it is all WAY too expensive but they know they have us hooked.
 
J

My broadband in the UK (Sky broadband) has a heavy cap on its upload speed, but its still one of the few remaining services in its price range that doesnt have download limits:
 

Well, when you're only getting 82.5 kilobytes of upload speed, how could you ever use too much bandwidth anyway???