As reported by Karl Bode, Comcast has come clean regarding its usage-based broadband caps for residential users. The company’s actions follow its long history of having an undefined ceiling on “excessive use,” and its more recent P2P throttling actions which had net neutrality advocates crying foul. To Comcast’s credit, the newly-defined 250 GB monthly cap is clearly targeted at the heaviest users rather than the average person. (According to Comcast, the median monthly data usage for residential customers is 2-3 GB.)

Comparing Comcast’s single 250 GB cap with more restrictive caps imposed by other carriers (Frontier’s new 5 GB cap springs to mind) highlights the difference between using bandwidth caps to manage the network versus generating incremental revenue.

I’ve just finished up a report on usage-based broadband (now requiring a few minor edits!) that lays out who’s doing what, and tackles the competitive and consumer impact of introducing caps. I’ll post an update when the report hits the Jupiter website.