Telecom provider representatives defended the use of data caps, during...
Telecom provider representatives defended the use of data caps, during a panel Monday at NARUC 2012, while others said they're unnecessary and can punish users. “Data caps miss the point,” said QSI Consulting President August Ankum. The main problem people…
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look at is high-usage customers, he said, but many users using small amounts of data during busy times has the same effect as a few users using large amounts of data. He presented several different approaches to controlling data usage and said data caps don’t account for usage varying at different times of day or in different areas. Data caps are solutions to artificial problems, said Sascha Meinrath, Open Technology Initiative director at the New American Foundation. He compared data to a multi-lane highway in which all lanes but one are closed off. The providers, not the consumers, are to blame for limited spectrum, he said. But networks really are “maxing out,” said USTelecom Vice President-Industry and State Affairs Robert Mayer. Data caps are needed to ensure network quality, said T-Mobile Mid-Atlantic Regional Vice President Chris Hillabrant. Unlimited data plans would cause slower networks, and using data caps keeps networks running quickly. Daniel Brenner, a partner of Hogan Lovells, said data caps are not an issue because it’s so rare for anyone to use enough data to exceed them. Meinrath argued that scientists and researchers use that much data, and they should not have to be punished with fees for exceeding data caps.