In its attempt to curb users who use disproportionate amount of bandwidth, AT&T will place a monthly cap of 150GB on the amount of data its digital subscriber line (DSL) customers can transfer, effective 2 May.
The monthly cap will be 250GB for the faster U-Verse.
Users will be charged $10 for every additional 50GB beyond the 150GB limit. They will be intimated in advance about the changes.
The company said subscribers will be informed when they have exceeded 60%, 90%, and 100% of their monthly data limits.
They will also have access to a usage report and other tools that will inform them of data consuming activities such as high-definition movie downloads and constant video conferencing.
AT&T has said that a small percentage of users will be affected by the new restrictions as the average DSL subscriber uses about 18GB per month.
The company said, "Less than 2 percent of our Internet customers could be impacted by this approach – those who are using a disproportionate amount of bandwidth."
"We will communicate early and often with these customers so they are well aware of their options before they incur any additional usage charges."
