my personal opinion is that ISP's should be a little smarter about their usage limits instead of simply having monthly caps. 250gb is a pretty hefty limit, but I could see how someone might hit it. Also, as content providers move towards HD content I suppose I am unconvinced that Comcast isn't trying to stifle it's competition as, at least, a side benefit of metering.
One thing that makes a difference is time of use. 250gb primarily betwen 4pm and 10pm is going to have a huge impact on your neighbors - and perhaps on down the line. From 1am to 7am, dramatically less so. If Comcast were to look at the people who blow the cap and the times of day in which they do so, that might be a mitigating circumstance. Something else is why do they choose 250gb as the limit? If the problem is 1.3% of users, what is the break point on 1.3%? If it is 250gb, then fine. If that break point is 500gb, then you have to ask why they are pushing down to the top 5% or whatever.
Upspeed capacity, being less than downstream capacity may also be an issue. If you are pushing out tons of data vice bringing it in, then that is another problem. I guess I am more concerned with downstream data caps than upstream ones. There are lots of ways to host data that doesn't include a server at your house. Not so much acquiring content from the web.
Bottomline though, if you are consistently blowing a 250gb cap, you probably should be moving to a corporate account anyway. Comcast is supposed to appeal to the "typical" consumer. As long as they keep adding capacity and increasing their cap to accomodate 98% of their users, then I think they are doing the right thing. Those who are in the top couple points of users in terms of capacity should be looking to move up a tier.
I do wonder why you can't serve data from somewhere other than your own house. Torrents, although not specifically illegal, certainly is fertile ground for those who wish to become potential targets of RIAA.
