Comcast expands data caps to more markets

Comcast customers in five more markets will see their data use limited this winter.

The company says it will expand its practice of capping data use in the new markets starting in December. All of the markets, including Little Rock, Ark., and Tuscaloosa, Ala., are in the South.

{mosads}A company spokesman told The Associated Press that the markets were near places where the company had already put data caps in place.

The company has been testing caps for years. Under the caps, users must pay more if they exceed 300 gigabytes in a month. They pay $10 for every additional 50 gigabyte chuck of data they consume.

There is a way out, for customers willing to pay. This year, Comcast said that customers in Atlanta and south Florida could pony up an extra $35 a month for access to “unlimited” data plans. DSL Reports reported that customers in the new market would have the “unlimited” option as well.

It’s a familiar strategy to many Americans: wireless providers phased out unlimited data plans years ago when it became clear that consumers’ appetite to mobile data was growing.

But the expansion of the caps reflects the new pressure Comcast and other traditional internet service providers are under as consumers rapidly reorient their TV viewing habits around streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, rather than the classic cable package.

In May, Comcast announced that it had more Internet subscribers than cable video customers for the first time.

Comcast is America’s largest cable company and its practices are closely watched. It is also subject to strict regulatory scrutiny. This year, the Federal Communications Commission and Department of Justice killed the company’s attempt to take over Time Warner Cable.