Following a public backlash, Comcast is delaying a 1.2TB monthly data cap on Xfinity subscribers in the northeastern US to some time next year.
“We recognize that our data plan was new for our customers in the Northeast, and while only a very small percentage of customers need additional data, we are providing them with more time to become familiar with the new plan,” Comcast said in a statement.
The data cap was originally supposed to arrive in 12 states last month. However, the plan immediately faced outrage from Comcast subscribers. Under the plan, customers who exceed the 1.2TB limit would be charged an extra $10 per 50GB used. The max full amount charged, however, would be capped to $100 a month.
In its defense, Comcast insisted that only 5% of its Xfinity subscribers in the northeastern US used over 1.2TB of monthly data. The company’s own stats claim the median monthly use among Xfinity customers has been at 346GB for the past six months. But many Comcast customers aren’t buying the company’s argument, and say their data use can easily exceed the 1.2TB cap due to video streaming, gaming, video calling, and several family members sharing the same Wi-Fi plan.
The data cap prompted state lawmakers and Pennsylvania's attorney general to demand that Comcast delay the plan, citing rising internet use during the pandemic. “This is not the time to change the rules when it comes to internet data usage and increase costs,” said Pennsylvania AG Josh Shapiro earlier this month.
According to Shapiro, Comcast originally agreed to delay the 1.2TB data cap to July. Why the company decided to postpone the plan even further wasn’t explicitly mentioned in Thursday’s statement. We’ve reached out to Comcast and will update the story if we hear back.
In the meantime, Connecticut’s attorney general says the company made the right call. “I have heard from families across Connecticut who easily exceeded this cap while studying and working remotely,” William Tong said in a statement. “Far from so-called superusers, these were stories from typical Connecticut families merely trying to stay employed and educate their children during a global pandemic.”
Comcast already imposes a 1.2TB monthly data cap for the rest of its US Xfinity customers.