Comcast Mulls Bandwith Cap

Seeking to limit disproportionate bandwith use, Comcast is considering a monthly limit of 250GB that could set a precedent affecting game downloads.

The North American provider may charge $15 for every 10GB in excess of the cap, already in place in other parts of the world. The company says the limit would affect only one-tenth of one percent of users.

But the move may set a precedent and create a downward trend that would affect digital distribution of games and movies.

PC users of Valve's Steam network download games measuring from a few hundred megabytes to five or more gigabytes in size, as do users of Direct2Drive or EA's service. The Xbox 360 allows for movie downloads, weighing in around 4.5GB, as does iTunes.

"Comcast is currently evaluating this service and pricing model to ensure we deliver a great online experience to our customers," said Comcast spokesman Charlie Dougla. "We have not made any changes to our current service offerings and have no new announcement to make at this time."

Source: Shacknews.com