Is unlimited Internet a thing of the past?

For years now, restrictions on Internet use have seemingly disappeared, with “unlimited usage” being a popular selling point for many Internet services providers (ISPs). Long gone were the days when Internet users had to keep tabs on their usage. Unfortunately, those days may be back.

Recent reports suggest that some big-name ISPs are experimenting with placing caps on Internet usage for their customers. Customer use is not being measured in how many hours they are online (as some dial-up ISPs did in the past), but, instead, use is being measured in bandwidth consumed by the customer over a period of time (usually a month).

With the new restrictions in place, customers would be charged additional “overage” or similar fees if they exceed the allotted bandwidth for the month. These new bandwidth restrictions are taking shape mainly due to the prevalence of watching videos and gaming online. Both of these activities consume large amounts of bandwidth and both activities are growing in popularity.

Opinions on this subject differ, but some experts are suggesting that imposing such restraints on Internet use could stunt innovation and growth. Time will tell is this is merely a passing trend or the start of a whole new way of dealing with Internet use.

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