Cox Communications confirmed that it is expanding a usage-based high-speed Internet data policy to several more service areas that will charge subscribers $10 for an extra bucket of 50 GB of data when they exceed their monthly data plans.  

Cox, which has implemented that policy in its Cleveland, Florida and Georgia service areas, is now extending it to systems serving Connecticut; Omaha, Neb.; Northwest Arkansas; Kansas and Sun Valley, Idaho.

DSL Reports reported on the policy update, noting that some Cox customers were receiving notices of a new usage-based policy that would begin on Feb. 20.

The addition of markets that are now part of this policy are reflected on this updated Cox data policy web site for customers.

A spokesman for Cox said the new policy will not impact 99% of its customers. Cox has not announced when it might extend the policy to more areas.

“We have no additional locations to announce today. As decisions are made about any subsequent locations, we will announce these plans to our customers well in advance,” the Cox spokesman said in an email.

Cox recently expanded a monthly 1-Terabyte data limit to most of its high-speed Internet tiers. The exception is Cox’s 1-Gbps “Gigablast” offering, whose monthly limit remains at 2 terabytes.

RELATED: Cox Expands 1-Terabyte Data Usage Limit to Most Speed Tiers

Cox, which provides a meter to help subs track their data usage, sends alerts via browsers, email or an automated outbound call when customers use 85% and 100% of their monthly data plan, and sends additional alerts if usage reaches 125% of their plan.

The FCC has been looking into data cap and zero-rating policies, has not set a timetable on when the Commission would complete its review. It’s not clear how the Commission’s analysis of that issue will proceed under new FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, who is succeeding Tom Wheeler.

Comcast confirmed that it has suspended its usage-based broadband data policy in Maine, a decision that comes soon after the MSO expanded the policy to several markets outside of its Northeast division.

Per DSL Reports and other media outlets, Comcast recently informed high-speed Internet subs in Maine that the policy is being suspended there.

RELATED: Comcast Raising Ceiling for Broadband Data Trials to 1 Terabyte

"We're writing to let you know that we are suspending our Terabyte Internet Data Usage Plan in the state of Maine," the notice said of the change, which becomes effective December 1.

Comcast reasoned that the decision is about aligning the policies for its Maine market with the rest of New England and the Northeast division with respect to areas such as customer care, engineering and operations.

Following a trial period, Comcast recently began the commercial rollout of a usage-based data policy that limits usage to 1 Terabyte (1024 Gigabytes) per month before customers are charged $10 for each additional bucket of 50 GB (but not to exceed $200).  

In those markets, Comcast is also offering an unlimited data option that costs an additional $50 per month, and, for lighter users, a “Flexible Data Option” for customers on its Economy Plus and Performance Starter high-speed tiers that provides an automatic $5 credit if their total monthly usage is less than or equal to 5 GB per month. On that plan, Comcast charges $1 for each 1-GB of data used over the 5 GB threshold.

When Maine is removed from the mix, Comcast will no longer have a data policy for its Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region, and has not announced if or when it will expand the policy to those areas.

In the meantime, the usage plan is active in several other Comcast markets around the country, including parts of Alabama; Arizona; Arkansas; Colorado; Florida; Georgia; Illinois; Indiana; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Southwestern Michigan; Mississippi; Missouri; Minnesota; Tennessee; Texas; South Carolina; Southwest Virginia; Utah; Washington; and Wisconsin.

RELATED: AT&T to Tweak, Raise Broadband Data Plans

Comcast’s data usage plans don’t apply to Comcast Business Internet subs, customers on “Bulk Internet” agreements, and customers that use the MSO’s new Prepaid Internet service (offered in a handful of markets), or itsFTTP-based Gigabit Pro (symmetrical 2 Gbps) offering.

The FCC is looking into data cap and zero-rating policies, has not set a timetable on when the Commission would complete its review.

AT&T said it will change the data plans and monthly allowances for some wireline broadband customers starting August 21.

U-verse Internet subs on tiers with speeds up to 300 Mbps will see their monthly data ceiling rise to 1 terabyte before overage fees are applied ($10 for an additional bucket of 50 gigabytes of data).

However, customers who bundle U-verse Internet with U-verse TV or DirecTV service and pay for services on a single bill, per the current policy, still get unlimited home Internet data for no additional charge.  Other U-verse data subs still have the option to buy an unlimited plan for an additional $30 per month.

Meanwhile, customers on GigaPower, AT&T’s fiber-based offering with speeds up to 1 Gbps, will be moving to an unlimited data plan.  AT&T has been pairing GigaPower with 1-TB soft caps that charge $10 for each additional bucket of 50 gigabytes, with a max monthly overage charge of $30.

Prior to the new policy, subs on tier with speeds between 768 kbps to 6 Mbps were fixed with 300 GB monthly data allowances, while 12 Mbps to 75 Mbps were set at 600 GB, and those on plans with 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps speeds were set at 1 TB.

“For customers with internet speeds below 12Mbps, this triples their current amount of data; for customers with internet speeds ranging from 12Mbps to 75Mbps, this nearly doubles their current allowance,” Cheryl Choy, AT&T’s VP of data and voice products, said in the announcement.

AT&T has set up a site where customers can estimate, monitor and manage their data usage. AT&T said it will start to notify customers about the updated policies on August 1.

AT&T is also just one of several ISPs to recently adjust broadband usage policies.

Comcast is testing a 1 TB usage plan and an unlimited data option in a subset of markets, with Chicago joining the mix August 1 (subscription required).

Alaska’s GCI bumped the monthly limit of “Red,” its 1 Gbps residential cable modem service, from 750 GB  to 1 TB.

CenturyLink is also testing a usage-based billing policy in Yakima, Wash., but has not committed beyond that.

Broadband data policies that place a soft cap on monthly usage and charge more for additional buckets of data are rapidly becoming the norm among the nation’s Internet-service providers.

Such policies are now commercially deployed by Suddenlink (now part of Altice USA), Mediacom Communications and AT&T, as well as smaller service providers such as GCI. Meanwhile, Comcast continues to expand its usage-based trials, while CenturyLink is slated to start kicking the tires on a new broadband data policy later this week.

Comcast, the nation’s largest cable operator, confirmed that it recently notified customers in the Chicago market area that the MSO’s data plan trial will get underway Aug. 1. When that trial launches, it will become the largest market in Comcast’s footprint so far to test the MSO’s new policy. In addition to greater Chicago, Comcast is also poised to test usage-based policies in Quincy and Rockford, Ill., and in its Northern Indiana systems, also starting Aug. 1.

Comcast introduced a 1-TB plan in April, replacing a 300- GB plan it had been implementing in most of its trial markets.

If customers exceed the 1-TB limit, they have the option to purchase additional buckets of 50 GBs of data for $10 each (up to a maximum of $200), or move to a new unlimited data plan that runs an additional $50 per month.

Comcast has not announced if or when it will expand the policy to all markets. In addition to the new markets coming online Aug. 1, other trial markets include Huntsville, Mobile and Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Tucson, Ariz.; Little Rock, Ark.; Fort Lauderdale, the Keys and Miami, Fla.; Atlanta, Augusta and Savannah, Ga.; Central Kentucky; Houma, LaPlace and Shreveport, La.; Maine; Jackson and Tupelo, Miss.; Chattanooga, Greeneville, Johnson City/Gray, Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville, Tenn.; Charleston, S.C.; and Galax, Va.

Reed Hastings, the CEO of Netflix, the OTT giant and critic of usage-based policies, praised Comcast when it announced the new 1-TB plan, tweeting: “Huge for me as a Comcast customer. Now I’ll never be able to watch enough to hit my cap.”

Perhaps not too coincidentally, Comcast and Netflix announced a deal a few weeks later that calls for the MSO to integrate Netflix on Comcast’s X1 platform sometime this year.

GCI, the Alaska-based operator, also made some waves last week, announcing that it had raised the monthly limit of “Red,” its 1 Gigabit-per-second residential cable modem service, from 750 GBs to 1 TB. Customers on Red, which is paired with an upstream that maxes out at 50 Mbps, have the option to purchase additional 30-GB buckets of data for $10 when they exceed their monthly limit.

But GCI has added a different twist to the usage-based approach. Under a “No Worries” option launched in January 2015, customers can buy additional buckets of data, upgrade to a different plan, or shift temporarily to a “basic” level of service of less than 1 Mbps with no overages.

CenturyLink is the latest provider to jump on the usage-based bandwagon. It confirmed last week that it will launch a usage-based billing trial in Yakima, Wash., on Tuesday (July 26) that will charge $10 for a bucket of 50 GBs of data (up to a maximum of $50) when customers exceed their monthly limit.

Under the trial, subscribers of service plans with speeds up to 7 Mbps can consume up to 300 GBs per month, while those that have speeds of more than 7 Mbps will be capped at 600 GBs before the usage-based policy is applied.

CenturyLink has not announced the length of the Yakima trial or when it might look to expand it to other markets. “CenturyLink will analyze the data from this trial to determine next steps and make decisions regarding further rollout of usage-based billing,” a company official said.

Though usage-based broadband policies and overage charges are increasingly becoming part of ISP strategies, critics of them maintain that they are in place to increase revenue while keeping OTT video competition in check.

For its part, Comcast has argued that its trials “are based on principles of flexibility and fairness” and that more than 99% of its high-speed Internet subscribers don’t come within a whiff of using a terabyte.

One MSO that will be sitting on the sidelines with regard to usage-based broadband pricing for the foreseeable future is Charter Communications. Charter, per a condition of its acquisitions of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, is prohibited from imposing data caps or implementing usage-based polices for a period of seven years.

Alaskan MSO GCI said it has bumped the monthly limit of “Red,” its 1 Gbps residential cable modem service, from 750 gigabytes to 1 terabyte

Customers on Red, which is paired with an upstream that maxes out at 50 Mbps, have the option to purchase additional 30 GB buckets of data for $10 when they exceed their monthly limit.

Under a “No Worries” option launched in January 2015, customers have the option to buy additional buckets of data, upgrade to a different plan, or shift temporarily to a “basic” level of service of less than 1 Mbps with no overages.

GCI said its other No Worries Internet plans will also receive bigger data plans and faster speeds later this year. Currently, it’s 100 Mbps service is paired with a 300 GB limit, alongside 50 Mbps/150 GB, and 10 Mbps/40GB.

“GCI is excited to be the only company is Alaska offering 1 Gig speeds with a terabyte of data each month in communities all over the state - from Anchorage to Fairbanks to Juneau to Mat-Su,” Paul Landes, GCI’s SVP and GM, consumer services, said in a statement.

GCI currently offers the 1-Gig Red tier in Anchorage, Fairbanks, the Mat-Su Borough and Juneau.

Comcast is testing a 1-TB data policy and an unlimited data option in select markets.

Per the conditions tied to its acquisition of  Time Warner Cable, Charter Communications is prohibited from imposing data caps and usage-based data pricing for a period of seven years.

CenturyLink appears poised to join ISPs such as Comcast, AT&T and Mediacom Communications that are testing or have launched usage-based policies for residential broadband services.

Per updated policy data spotted by DSL Reports, CenturyLink plans to kick off a usage-based billing trial in Yakima, Wash., starting July 26, that will charge $10 for a bucket of 50 gigabytes per data when customers exceed their monthly limit.

According to CenturyLink's current data policy FAQ, customers will get a grace period, as they will not be charged for the first two months that they exceed their monthly usage cap.

Customers who are subject to the test policy will receive an electronic “no charge” warning the first two times.  During months that customers are not billed, they’ll receive online alerts when they approach 85% of their data plan.

“Thereafter, if you exceed your usage limit, you will be billed for the overage without additional notice other than electronic alerts as you are approaching your monthly usage limit,” the FAQ notes, adding that those customers will receive online alerts when they are within 65% and 85% of their monthly data allotments.

Under the trial, service plans with speeds up to 7 Mbps can consume up to 300 GB per month, while those that have speeds of more than 7 Mbps will be capped at 600 GB before the usage-based policy is applied.  

The maximum additional monthly data usage charge CenturyLink will bill in the test market is $50, regardless of total usage.  Some CenturyLink customers are excluded from the usage-based trial and the telco’s more widely implemented excessive use policy, including business customers and 1-gig customers.

CenturyLink has not announced the length of the Yakima trial or when it might look to expand it to other markets. The telco has been asked for further comment.

Update: CenturyLink provided this comment: 

CenturyLink is conducting usage-based billing trials in Yakima, WA, to allow customers to control their Internet usage. This gives our customers proactive management of their usage and ensures they are being billed fairly. Very few customers will see any change in what they pay for Internet service, as customers will only be billed an additional amount if they exceed the Internet usage limit for the High-Speed Internet plan they purchased.

CenturyLink will analyze the data from this trial to determine next steps and make decisions regarding further roll-out of usage-based billing.

CenturyLink, which is developing a pair of OTT video products, hinted in February that it was mulling usage-based broadband policies.

"Regarding the metered data plans, we are considering that for second half of the year," CenturyLink CFO Stewart Ewing said at the time. "We think it is important and our competition is using the metered plans today and we think that exploring those starts and trials later this year is our expectation.”

Cox Communications said it has no immediate plans to expand a usage-based data trial launched in Cleveland last May that charges for extra blocks of data once subscribers surpass their monthly allotments. 

Speculation that Cox might push forward with that pilot policy in other markets emerged after the MSO recently tweaked the data policy in other markets that keeps excessive use in check by urging customers to upgrade to other plans that better reflect their data usage.

As reported first by DSL Reports, Cox recently updated its data policies, with the monthly limit on its Ultimate tier (200 Mbps down by 20 Mbps or 300 Mbps down by 30 Mbps upstream, depending on the market) moving from 2 terabytes per month to 1 terabyte, with the monthly ceiling on its 1-Gig Gigablast package at 2 TB.

The change in usage allowances, Cox confirmed “was made this week to more consistently reflect the increased speed and usage included with each Cox Internet package. Ultimate now includes 1 TB of data usage and our Gigablast package includes 2 TB.”

Those changes are effective in all markets where those speeds are available. The exception is in Cleveland, where customers are  grandfathered with the 2 TB data usage allowance for Cox’s Ultimate speed tier.

Cleveland is the site of a usage-based pricing trial where Cox is charging $10 for an additional bucket of 50 gigabytes when customers exceed their monthly data limits.

“We have no immediate plans to extend the trial (the option to pay for additional usage beyond the included allowances within a package) beyond Cleveland,” a Cox official said via email.

On June 1, Comcast initiated a new trial policy in select markets that sets the monthly data bar at 1 TB before overage charges are applied, as well as an unlimited data plan that runs an additional $50 per month.

Per Cox’s FAQ on its data policies, about 95% of its high-speed Internet subs are on a data plan that adequately meets their monthly needs.

Under its current policy, Cox sends alerts by email and Cox browser messages when subs have used 75% of their monthly data plan, and sends out similar alerts when they have reached 100% and 170% of those data ceilings. 

Comcast confirmed that it has been sending letters to broadband customers that will be affected by a new 1 Terabyte (1,024 gigabyte) usage-based broadband policy in several trial markets, including a new wrinkle that will limit monthly overage charges to $200.

The letter (posted here on the DSL Reports user forum) from Comcast Cable EVP of Consumer Services Marcien Jenckes, reiterates that the 1 TB plan takes effect in the test markets on June 1, while also noting that overage charges will not exceed $200 each month, “no matter how much you use – this is a new addition to the plan.”

Comcast announced the 1-TB plan in April, noting that customers who exceed that limit can buy additional buckets of 50 GB of data for $10 each, or move to a new unlimited data plan that runs an additional $50 per month. Previously, Comcast was testing a 300 GB data plan in most of its test markets.

Per the letter from Jenckes, customers who are on Comcast’s original unlimited data plan trial ($35 or $30 per month, depending on the market) can keep that rate through the end of 2016. 

Comcast is currently testing monthly data usage plans in the following markets: Huntsville, Mobile and Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Tucson, Ariz.; Little Rock, Ark.; Fort Lauderdale, the Keys and Miami, Fla.; Atlanta, Augusta and Savannah, Ga.; Central Kentucky; Houma, LaPlace and Shreveport, La.; Maine; Jackson and Tupelo, Miss.; Chattanooga, Greeneville, Johnson City/Gray, Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville, Tenn.; Charleston, S.C.; Galax, Va.

Comcast has also updated its FAQ for the data usage trials that details policies governing the new unlimited data and 1 TB plans in those markets.

Customers who exceed the 1 TB limit during a given month will be notified by email and through an in-browser message that another 50 GB has been allocated to the account. Customers will also get in-browser and email alerts when they reach 90%, 110% and 125% of their monthly plan. Subs can also opt to receive mobile text notifications.

Comcast is also allowing for a grace period to help subscribers get used to the new plan. Starting June 1, all trial markets will move to a two-month courtesy program, meaning that customers will be subject to overage charges if they exceed the monthly data ceiling for a third time in a 12-month period.  Previously, Comcast was granting a three-month grace period.

Under the plan being trialed, Comcast customers can’t roll unused data to a future month.

Comcast is still testing a “Flexible Data Option” for subscribers on its Economy Plus and Performance Starter tiers. That option, for lighter Internet users, provides a $5 credit if customers use 5 GB or less in a month. Customers who exceed that limit are charged $1 per gigabyte beyond the 5 GB limit, up to $200 per month (starting June 1).

Comcast’s FAQ also notes that the median monthly usage has been 60 GB per month during the past six months, and has previously said that more than 99% of its residential high-speed Internet subs don’t come close to using a terabyte of data in a month.

While Comcast has held that the trials are “based on principles of flexibility and fairness,” critics maintain that they in place to generate more broadband revenues while keeping growing over-the-top video competition in check. 

When Comcast announced its decision to shift to a 1 TB usage plan, it drew some unexpected praise from Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, who tweeted: “Huge for me as a Comcast customer. Now I'll never be able to watch enough to hit my cap.”

BendBroadband has recently applied changes to its usage-based broadband policies that favor high-speed Internet customers that also bundle in the MSO’s TV service.

Under the new plan, described in this May 9 blog post that was spotted by DSL Reports, customers who take BendBroadand’s “Bronze” or above Intent speed tiers and bundle in its “Essentials” or above TV service are exempt from the MSO’s usage-based broadband policy.

“More than half of BendBroadband’s internet customers are no longer subject to a monthly data usage allowance under a new initiative that goes into effect today,” explained the Oregon-based MSO, which was acquired by TDS Telecom in 2014.

Non-exempt customers, a group that likely includes cord-cutters that rely heavily on broadband for their video consumption, are still subject to a BendBroadband usage policy that charges $10 for an additional 50 Gigabytes of data above the customer’s monthly limit.

For example, under BendBroadband new “Ultra”-branded set of packages, Ultra 50 package (50 Mbps down by 3 Mbps upstream) sets a monthly data usage ceiling of 250 GB; 500 GB for Ultra 100 (100 Mbps down by 5 Mbps up); and 750 GB for Ultra 300 (300 Mbps down by 10 Mbps up).

The policy shift at BendBroadband comes against the backdrop of an FCC order and condition placed on the Charter-Time Warner Cable merger that bars New Charter fromimposing data caps and usage-based data pricing for a period of seven years.

AT&T, meanwhile, has added an unlimited data plan that cost an extra $30 per month for standalone Internet subs, but is free to broadband subs who bundled with U-verse video or co-owned DirecTV satellite video service and pay on a single bill.

Comcast announced last month that it is moving to a terabyte data plan in all of its usage-based test markets starting June 1.  Customers who go over that 1 TB monthly limit can buy additional buckets of 50 GB of data for $10 each, or move to a new unlimited data plan that runs an additional $50 per month.

Netflix has moved ahead on an announced plan to introduce a tool that will help subs control how much data they are eating when they stream video over cellular networks.

The tool, designed to help subs keep cellular data caps and data overage charges in check, has a default setting that will let subs stream about three hours of content per 1 Gigabyte of data.

“In terms of bitrates,  that currently amounts to about 600 Kilobits per second,” Eddy Wu, Netflix’s director of product innovation, explained Thursday in this blog post. “Our testing found that, on cellular networks, this setting balances good video quality with lower data usage to help avoid exceeding data caps and incurring overage fees.”

Netflix is introducing the new cellular data-saving feature after the OTT video giant took some heat for reducing the quality of video delivered on AT&T and Verizon cellular networks, but not those operated by T-Mobile or Sprint because the latter had historically implemented “more consumer-friendly policies.” At the time,  AT&T said it was “outraged” by the practice,claiming it was akin to “throttling” those streams without consumer  consent.

Customers on mobile data plans with higher data caps can also adjust cellular video streams to higher bit rates. To get the tool, customers must update their Netflix app for iOS or Android devices to the most current version and select the App Settings element to access the Cellular Data Usage tool.

Per this customer help page, here’s how Netflix’s six data usage settings stack up:

-Off: Customers can stream only when device is connected to WiFi (when connected to WiFi, Netflix’s app will attempt to stream in the highest quality possible based on the connection speed and content they are watching.

-Auto: Netflix will select a data usage setting that balances data usage with good video quality. Currently this will allow you to watch about 3 hours per GB of data.

-Low: Watch about 4 hours per GB of data.

-Medium: Watch about 2 hours per GB of data.

-High: Watch about 1 hour per GB of data.

-Unlimited: Netflix says this setting is recommended only if a customer is on an unlimited data plan. “This setting will stream at the highest possible quality for your device and the content you are viewing. This may use 1 GB per 20 minutes or more depending on your device and network speeds,” Netflix said.

“Our goal is to give you more control and greater choice in managing your data usage whether you’re on an unlimited mobile plan or one that’s more restrictive,” Wu noted, adding that bitrates for the feature could change over time as Netflix develops new ways to boost picture quality and streaming efficiency.

Netflix also allows subs to customize and adjust streams for wired broadband connections. Netflix recently introduced a more efficient encoding scheme that's also designed to help subs reduce their exposure to usage-based broadband policies and data caps.

Netflix also supports Binge On, T-Mobile’s optional video optimization service that limits streams to 480p and exempts partner traffic from its data-usage policies. T-Mobile recently adjusted its policy to provide more info on the option and an easier way for subs to toggle the service on and off. 

Comcast’s controversial trial of usage-based broadband policies in select markets is going up a notch. 

The operator announced in this blog post Thursday that it is moving to a terabyte data plan in all of those test markets starting June 1, a decision that comes soon after the FCC announced several proposed conditions on the pending Charter-Time Warner Cable merger, including one that would prohibit  Charter from imposing data caps and usage-based data pricing for a period of seven years.

Customers who go over that 1 TB monthly limit can buy additional buckets of 50 GB of data for $10 each, or move to a new unlimited data plan that runs an additional $50 per month.

“All the data plans in our trial markets will move from a 300 gigabyte data plan to a terabyte by June 1st, regardless of the speed,” Marcien Jenckes, Comcast Cable’s EVP, consumer services, wrote.

Prior to this coming change, Comcast has been testing several usage-based policies, including an unlimited data option that runs an additional fee of $30 to $35 per month, depending on the market, and only in a subset of its trial markets.

Comcast has also been testing a soft, monthly usage cap of 300 Gigabytes per month that charges $10 for each additional bucket of 50 GB above that threshold (with a “three-month courtesy program” that won’t bill subs the first three times they exceed the monthly limit). Comcast is also testing a more variable usage-based policy in Tucson, Ariz., that adjusts the monthly consumption ceiling based on the speed of the customer’s data tier, as well as a “Flexible-Data Option” for lighter users on the MSO’s Economy Plus and Performance Starter tiers.

Update: Comcast confirmed that customers currently on the unlimited plan in the trial markets can keep their current pricing through end of 2016. They'll also have the option to move to the new 1 TB plan when it takes effect June 1. 

Comcast has not announced if or when it will implement a usage-based policy on a commercial basis. So far, trials have been limited to the following areas: Huntsville, Mobile and Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Tucson; Little Rock, Ark.; Fort Lauderdale, the Keys and Miami, Fla.; Atlanta, Augusta and Savannah, Ga.; Central Kentucky; Houma, LaPlace and Shreveport, La.; Maine; Jackson and Tupelo, Miss.; Chattanooga, Greenville, Johnson City/Gray, Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville, Tenn.; Charleston, S.C.; and Galax, Va. Comcast’s data usage plans do not currently apply to customers on the MSO’s fiber-based Extreme 505 and Gigabit Pro services, and also have not been applied to Comcast business service customers and those on “bulk Internet agreements.”

"We’re currently evaluating our plans to roll this out in other markets, we’ll keep listening – and we'll be open to making further changes in the future to deliver the best high-speed data service to our customers," Jenckes said. 

In those pilot markets, "[W]e have experimented with different offers, listened to feedback, and learned a lot. That is what we said we would do when we launched our trials four years ago – analyze and assess our customers' reaction to the data plans, including being open to increasing them over time."

He said the new data limit on the trial policy “is so high that most of our customers will never have to think about how much data they use.”

Currently, more than 99% of Comcast’s high-speed Internet subs “do not come close to using a terabyte,” he added, noting that the typical sub uses about 60 GB of data, or about 6% of 1 TB, per month. Jenckes also tossed in some figures to illustrate how much 1 TB represents – 700 hours of HD video, playing 12,000 hours of online games, and downloading 60,000 hi-res photos in a month.

Comcast has previously argued that the trials are “based on principles of flexibility and fairness.” Critics of the policies believe they are in place to generate more broadband revenues while keeping growing over-the-top video competition in check. 

Outside of the proposed condition on the Charter-TWC deal, the FCC is also looking into data cap and zero-rating policies, but earlier this month FCC chairman Tom Wheeler said he had no timetable to offer on when the Commission would complete its review.

Indicating a further ramp up in its pay TV business, CenturyLink said it ended 2015 with 3.2 million homes enabled for Prism TV, its IP-based service that is currently powered by the Ericsson Mediaroom platform.

During Q4, the telco added 16,000 Prism TV subs, ending the year with 285,000. CenturyLink added more than 190,000 addressable homes for the service in new and existing service areas during the quarter. It has launched Prism TV in markets such as Minneapolis/St. Paul; Seattle; La Crosse and Platteville, Wis.; Columbia and Jefferson City, Mo.; Tallahassee and central and  southwest Florida;  Las Vegas; central N.C.; Phoenix; Omaha, Neb.; Denver and Colorado Springs, Colo.; Portland;  and Salt Lake City.

During its Q4 call on Wednesday, CenturyLink did not provide any additional details about its OTT service trials.

On the data side, CenturyLink lost 22,000 high-speed Internet subs in Q4 due in part to “tighter credit standards” implemented in mid-2015. But it ended the year with about  940,000 addressable GPON homes and 490,000 addressable GPON business locations. CenturyLink, company CEO Glen Post said, now provides speeds of 40 Mbps or higher in north of 30% of its footprint.

CenturyLink CFO Stewart Ewing said the telco is also mulling metered-data plans for broadband, perhaps taking a step closer to policies being tested or implemented by ISPs such as Comcast, AT&T and Suddenlink Communications.

"Regarding the metered data plans, we are considering that for second half of the year," he said. "We think it is important and our competition is using the metered plans today and we think that exploring those starts and trials later this year is our expectation.”

CenturyLink posted Q4 operating revenues of $4.48 billion, up slightly from $4.44 billion in the year-ago period. Broken down further, consumer segment revenues were $1.51 billion, up 1.3%.

The telco also posted net income of $338 million, versus $188 million in the year-ago quarter. 

The FCC has received more than 13,000 complaints about Comcast’s usage-based broadband data trials, according to a Freedom of Information Act request filed with the Commission by the Cut Cable Today website, which posted its findings yesterday.

Comcast last month expanded its data trials, which include policies with soft monthly caps that charge extra for additional buckets of data, an option for lite users, as well as a newer “unlimited” data option.

Critics of the policies believe that the policies, which aren’t in place to deal with network congestion issues, are in place to juice broadband revenues while keeping growing over-the-top video competition in check.  

Comcast has not announced when it will end the trials or if it intends to make them company-wide policy. For now, the MSO said the tests are providing it with feedback, reiterating that customers are finding the new usage-based policies fairer than the static cap that it discontinued in 2012.

Comcast issued this statement on the subject Wednesday:

“We are conducting data trials in select markets around the country, covering a small percentage of our customers. We designed the various plans we are trialing with a minimum 300 GB/month data plan because more than 90 percent of our customers use less data than that and are not affected. The trials are providing us with invaluable consumer feedback. For example, we surveyed our heavy data users and 80 percent thought our data trials were fairer than our past approach, which was a 250 GB/month static cap. It’s important to note that 10 percent of our customers are consuming nearly 50 percent of all the data on our network. As a result, these trials are based on the principle that those who use more, pay more and those who use less, pay less.”

Comcast is expanding the number of markets that are testing the MSO’s usage-based broadband plans, which include policies with soft monthly caps that charge extra for additional buckets of data, as well as a newer “unlimited” data option.

Spotted by DSL Reports and outlined in a Comcast trial FAQ that was updated on November 3, Comcast is testing several usage-based policies:

-A soft, monthly usage cap of 300 Gigabytes per month that charges $10 for each additional bucket of 50 GB above that threshold. Comcast  has also implemented a “three-month courtesy program” meaning customers won’t be billed for the first three times they exceed the monthly 300 GB limit. Comcast is also testing a more variable usage-based policy in Tucson, Ariz., that adjusts the monthly consumption ceiling based on the speed of the customer’s data tier. (In Tucson, Comcast’s Economy Plus through Performance tiers set monthly data thresholds at 300 GB; Performance Starter or Blast! at 350 GB; Blast! Pro at 450 GB; and Extreme at 600 GB. Customers there are also charged $10 for each bucket of 50 GB above those monthly data ceilings).

-A “Flexible-Data Option” that’s tailored for light Internet users on the MSO’s Economy Plus and Performance Starter tiers. That opt-in trial caps usage at 5 GB per month before customers are subject to per-gigabyte fees. Customers who do not exceed the monthly 5 GB ceiling receive a $5 credit, but will be charged an additional $1 per GB consumed beyond the 5 GB threshold.  

-An “Unlimited Data Option” that costs an additional fee of $30 to $35 per month, depending on the market. “The fee is regardless of actual data usage,” Comcast notes in the FAQ.  Comcast first began to trial this option in select parts of Florida on Oct. 1, 2015, noting then that a customer survey with a group of heavy data users found that the majority (60%) “expressed interest in an unlimited data plan option at the predictable, flat price of around $30 a month.”

Comcast is testing the usage-based policies in the following areas: Huntsville, Mobile and Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Tucson, Ariz.; Little Rock, Ark.; Fort Lauderdale, the Keys and Miami, Fla.; Atlanta, Augusta and Savannah, Ga.; Central Kentucky; Houma, LaPlace and Shreveport, La.; Maine; Jackson and Tupelo, Miss.; Chattanooga, Greenville, Johnson City/Gray, Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville, Tenn.; Charleston, S.C.; and Galax, Virginia.

The MSO is trialing its Unlimited Data Option in most, but not all, of the same markets: Huntsville, Mobile and Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Little Rock, Ark.; Fort Lauderdale, the Keys and Miami, Fla.; Atlanta, Augusta and Savannah, Ga; Houma, LaPlace and Shreveport, La.; Jackson and Tupelo, Miss; Chattanooga, Greenville, Johnson City/Gray, Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville, Tenn.; Charleston, S.C., and Galax, Virginia.

Per the updated FAQ, the following Comcast markets are kicking the tires on the Flexible-Data Option: Huntsville, Mobile and Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Little Rock, Ark.; Fresno, Calif. (Economy Plus only); Fort Lauderdale, the Keys and Miami, Fla.; Atlanta, Augusta and Savannah, Ga.; Central Kentucky (Economy Plus only); Houma, LaPlace and Shreveport, La.; Maine (Economy Plus only); Jackson and Tupelo, Miss.; Chattanooga, Greenville, Johnson City/Gray, Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville, Tenn.; Charleston, S.C.; and Galax, Virginia.

Comcast has not announced when or if it intends to expand the data trials to other markets, but notes in the FAQ that the current consumer trials “may be discontinued at any time.”

Comcast’s data usage plans do not currently apply to customers on the MSO’s fiber-based Extreme 505 and Gigabit Pro services, and also do not apply to Comcast business service customers and those on “bulk Internet agreements.”

DSL Reports obtained a copy of a notice being sent to  Comcast customers who will be put on the trials starting December 1, noting that the "median usage for XFINITY Internet customers is 40 GB of data in a month."

The letter also notes that Comcast subs can track usage with the MSO-supplied data meter, and a data usage calculator that estimates a customer’s usage. Subs on the 300 GB data plan will receive a courtesy “in-browser” message and an email when they have reached 90%, 100%, 110%, and 125% of their monthly data usage plan.

While Comcast has previously argued that about 10% of its customers consume almost half of all the data on the operator’s network, holding that the “trials are based on principles of flexibility and fairness.” Critics of the policies believe they are in place to juice broadband revenues while keeping growing over-the-top video competition in check. 

The FCC, meanwhile, is proposing to reclassify some over-the-top video providers as MVPDS. In September, FCC general counsel Jon Sallet said the Commission's media vetting team's opposition to the now-scuttled Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger centered on online video distribution and the combined company's ability to "throw sand in the gears" of online video competitors.

Cox Communications is the latest cable operator to test the usage-based pricing waters, with plans to test a service that would add about $10 to customer bills for every 50 gigabytes over their usage cap they exceed.

The service will be tested in Cleveland beginning on May 19 and if things go as planned will be expanded throughout the footprint beginning in 2016. News of the usage-based pricing effort was first reported by DSL Reports.

Cox joins other operators like Mediacom Communications, Suddenlink Communications, Cable One and Comcast that have introduced $10 fees for extra buckets of gigabytes.

Cox recently increased the usage limits for its high-speed data tiers dramatically, possibly in anticipation for the new usage-based charges.The company’s usage limits are as follows:

Starter package: 150 GB per month

Essential: 250 GB per month

Premier: 700 GB per month

Ultimate: 2 terrabytes per month

Cox said that the usage fees will affect less than 5% of its customer base and will offer users an alternative to stepping up to a higher-priced level of service. In addition, customers will see any additional usage fees on their bills beginning in June, but won’t actually be charged for them until the October billing cycle. Cox officials said that would give customers a chance to better analyze their usage patterns and plan accordingly.

Customers in Cleveland will receive an e-mail notification when they reach their data limit.

Cable analysts have predicted that usage-based pricing would come to the industry as increased video streaming has spiked bandwidth needs. At INTX: The Internet & Television Expo earlier this month in Chicago, analysts said that usage-based pricing was “inevitable,” adding they expected smaller operators to test the waters first.

While usage-based pricing has been around since the days of dial-up, it has virtually disappeared in the broadband age as consumers have been highly sensitive to anything that hints of caps or limitations on the Internet.

Time Warner Cable learned the hard way in 2009, when it caused an uproarafter introducing usage caps in some of its markets. That resulting furor led the cable giant to rethink its pricing strategy,  keeping pricing the same for heavy users of bandwidth but offering discounts to customers whose usage was lighter.

Even with the caps, Cox said that most customers won’t come close to exceeding the new limits. According to the company, customers of its most popular data plan can do all of the following each month without pressing against the limits:

• watch 50 two-hour HD movies online
• watch 120 half-hour standard def TV shows

• watch 500 three-minute videos
• surf the web for 1,000 hours
• listen to 10,000 songs that are each  4-minutes long

Cox Communications confirmed that it recently raised the data plans for its residential broadband service tiers and will soon post the update on its Website to reflect the changes.

On a tier-by-tier basis, Cox’s new monthly data allowances are now as follows: 

- Starter: 150 GB/month

- Essential: 250 GB/month

- Preferred (Cox’s most popular plan): 350 GB/month

- Premier 700 GB/month

- Ultimate 2,000 GB/month

When Cox raised those limits in February 2013, Starter usage was limited to 30 GB, Essential at 100 GB, Preferred at 250 GB, and Premiere at 300 GB, while Ultimate held steady at 400 GB.

It was not immediately known how the revised policy affects Cox’s fiber-based, 1-Gig G1GABLAST service, which is now being offered in parts of four markets: Phoenix; Orange County, Calif.; Omaha, Neb.; and Las Vegas. The current, posted policy for G1GABLAST in Phoenix, the first market to get the 1-Gig service, shows a monthly data plan of 1 terabyte. 

Update: Cox also  confirmed that 1 TB remains the monthly usage allowance for its 1-Gig residential offering. 

DSL Reports first reported on the revised Cox data usage policies on Friday, citing info posted to its user forum by Cox customers.

Cox’s policy aims to keep excessive use in check and, unlike some policies that have been adopted or are being tested by other MSOs, Cox does not charge extra for additional buckets of data once a consumer breaks through the monthly cap. Speaking at this week’s INTX show in Chicago, industry analysts said usage-based pricing for broadband is inevitable as an increasing amount of video is consumed over-the-top.

“When things get bad enough on the video side, they will have this arrow in their quiver,” Vijay Jayant, Evercore ISI Group’s senior managing director, said.

According to the Cox policy that is currently posted, customers who do exceed their monthly data ceiling will be notified by one or more methods (email, phone, or a message to the PC) before action is taken.

“We will then work proactively with you,” the policy explains. “In many cases, customers are not even aware of their usage because they have an unsecured Wi-Fi network used by others or a computer virus. Cox can work with you to ensure that these issues are identified and corrected. In other cases, customers may choose to reduce their usage or switch to another Internet package that provides more data. In rare cases of extremely high usage, Cox will suspend the user's service until they call Cox. In even rarer cases, Cox will terminate a customer's service if they do not decrease their usage after consultation with Cox.”