We’re using a ton of mobile data. With Google Glass, we’re about to use a whole lot more.

When Google Glass opens up to the public, it’s going to be pricey in more ways than one.

Naturally, there’s the upfront cost of buying the thing, which likely won’t be subsidized by wireless carriers the way cellphones are now. But a Glass-enabled population will also impose other costs, too. Consumers will need to start buying larger and faster data plans just to feed these devices. And by doing so, they’ll be putting enormous new burdens on the country’s Internet infrastructure. Glass doesn’t have a cellular radio of its own. Instead, the way it links to the Web (when it’s not on Wi-Fi) is through your cellphone or tablet’s data plan. You might know this as tethering — using your data-enabled device as a mobile hotspot. Carriers have all sorts of rules about tethering, and sorting through them can be like feeling your way down a dark alley.