Wow - USA is going the way of Australia.

We (in Aus) have always had limited internet plans due to the way US companies charge us for the priviledge of connecting to the net - so our providers have no alternative but to charge for/cap usage.

Recently it has eased off some, with my own plan now allowing 20Gb before rate-shaping me back to 64kbit (512/128k). However, up until around 6 months ago, the standard plans in Australia resembled something like 10Gb per month and AU$0.15 per Mb thereafter. Most ISP's now just speed throttle you rather than charge you extra usage fees.

Put in this context, when i hear of US users complaining that they get in trouble for downloading 40Gb + on their US$50 per month plans (ours average out at around AUS$80 for 10Gb), and then those who download 100's of GB, I can't help but think how ridiculous US users expectations are.

By the way, the plans above at AUS$80 are typcially 512/128k DSL pipes, with cable costing a heap more for the same data capacity.

Realistically, VERY few people need to download more than 15-20Gb month, unless they are seriously into online music / software piracy or heavy VPN users. Heavy VPN users really should have a business plan.

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