| Q |
Why place a cap on Internet consumption? |
| A |
Currently, less than 1% of our ISPs end-use customers use a disproportionate amount of bandwidth, which can impact other customers’ experience on the shared network. In order to better manage the network, Click! and most other cable companies are considering or have already placed caps on consumption. |
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| Q |
Why 250 as the consumption cap? |
| A |
Our goal is to ensure a positive experience for all users, so we wanted to pick a cap that doesn’t restrict typical users. We determined the average user uses 3-5 GB per month. The 250 GB cap is 70 times more than the average customer uses each month. |
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| Q |
What is bandwidth consumption, anyway? |
| A |
Bandwidth consumption is measured in Gigabytes (GB) by adding a customer’s upstream and downstream usage over a given period of time, in this case, one month. If you enjoy math, here’s an example:
3 Mbps = 3,000,000 bits per second
86,400 seconds in a day X 30 days (one month) = 2,592,000 seconds per month
3,000,000 bits per second X 2,592,000 seconds = 7,776,000,000,000 bits total per month
Convert to bytes by dividing by 8 (8 bits in a byte) = 972,000,000,000 or 972 GB consumption
The average residential customer uses 3.5 GB per month. Click!’s consumption cap is 250 GB.
With a cap of 250, you can send more than 50 million plain text emails (at 5 KB/email), download more than 62,000 songs (assuming 4MB per song) or download over 120 movies (assuming standard definition and 2GB per movie).
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| Q |
How will the cap be implemented? |
| A |
On or about October 1, 2008, each Internet customer with a Click! Network connection will receive a letter from their ISP announcing the consumption cap. The letter will also include a copy of the updated Authorized Use Policy (AUP). A handful of customers will receive a letter that says they exceeded the cap last month and are encouraged to call their ISP for assistance in how to curb their consumption. The letter directs customers to a Question & Answer Guide on the ISP’s web site. Customers who exceed the cap may not know they are excessive users. For instance, some computer applications, left unchecked, can cause excessive consumption. |
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| Q |
What happens when a customer exceeds the 250 GB cap? |
| A |
Initially, customers who exceed the consumption cap will be notified by their ISP that their bandwidth usage for the preceding month exceeded 250 GB and are warned, if the cap is exceeded a second time, their connection will be slowed. Customers exceeding the cap will be encouraged to work with their ISP to problem-solve ways to curb their usage. The ISP will restore the customer’s speed to their previous subscribed level. If the consumption cap is exceeded again, the customer will be encouraged to upgrade their connection to that of a small business, which will be more in line with their usage patterns. If they choose not to, the account will be disconnected. |
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| Q |
Is there a way I can keep track of the bandwidth I am using? |
| A |
The following tools can help keep track of monthly bandwidth usage:
Windows: http://www.shaplus.com/bandwidth-meter/index.htm
Mac OS: http://freespace.virgin.net/jeremy.dronfield/skoobysoft/utilities/utilities.html#surplusmeter
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| Q |
What do you mean by shared network? |
| A |
Click! Network and most cable companies use a design architecture that is a shared topology. As more connections are made and more customers use the Internet, the bandwidth to each home drops. Think of taking a shower while someone is doing laundry. Cable systems are designed for multiple applications (video, voice and data) to be delivered to multiple areas or nodes at the same time. However, there are limitations to the architecture and it’s essential for network managers to monitor the health of the system so all customers have an optimum experience. |
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| Q |
Why an updated AUP? |
| A |
The last time Click! updated it’s AUP was in June 2006. The updated AUP includes more information about what is and what is not acceptable use on the Internet connection. In the last 3 years, many new applications have been developed and the demand for Internet bandwidth increases exponentially. The updated AUP will help Click! and its ISP partners keep the network operating smoothly. |
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| Q |
Who do I contact if I think my service has been capped? |
| A |
Please contact your ISP for verification and next steps to take. |
