Comcast’s 1.2 TB data cap seems like a ton of data—until you factor in remote work

Comcast will subject all its residential broadband customers to a 1.2 terabyte monthly data cap. The threshold that Comcast will start enforcing does, indeed, allow for a lot of online life before getting socked by surcharges of $10 for each extra 50 GB, up to $100 a month. For example, streaming 200 hours of high-definition Netflix (at 3 GB an hour) would still leave half that 1.2 TB allocation free. Comcast claims that about 95% of its customers nationally do not reach that threshold. But as users who have ascended these heights of data use can testify, it’s never just one or two things. With entire families working and learning remotely, data use can add up quickly. And don’t forget all the devices that make their own data demands when you’re not looking: Those huge system, app, and game updates on game consoles, computers, and phones (over Wi-Fi) add up, too. For those whose usage gets into the TB range, keeping under Comcast’s new data cap can be maddeningly difficult when the internet providers responsible provide no useful data-management tools.