Fair Usage Broadband Is It Really Fair?

Have you signed up for an unlimited package only to read the small print and find out that your broadband can be capped? Most companies who sell an unlimited service also have what is called a fair usage policy, which can end up imposing limits on your downloading.

If you are one of the millions of people who download music, movies and high resolution photos, then this could affect to you. While you might not be downloading anything like 20GB a month now, the imminent rise in legal film downloads, is just one way in which this is set to change.

What to look out for

Put simply, fair usage is the broadband industrys attempt at keeping cyber traffic down. The policy was designed to protect the people who might be affected by your downloading.

If you have an ADSL line, then you share probably your connection with the rest of your street. Because ADSL uses the old BT copper wires network, there is a limit to the capacity that they can carry.

The problem is that if youre a big downloader, you could be slowing down the broadband connection of up to 50 other people. And if you are regularly affecting other peoples internet, your ISP might decide that something needs to be done.

On the other hand, contention ratios for the 2.2 million cable customers (Ofcom, 2006) will be much lower, so they will be sharing with fewer people.

Its when you use it, not how

Your ISP is only trying to ensure that everyone has a good user experience. Those most likely to be affected by the fair usage policy are:

• Users of peer to peer networks uploading and downloading lots of films and music.
• Online gamers.
• People working from home and remotely connecting to the office.

If any of these apply to you, try cutting down your internet usage, or try downloading in the small hours when less people will be online in your street. That way you can still download as much as you want, without causing problems for anyone else.

Typical penalties

Most ISPs will ignore over-sized downloading for a month or two, and will then get in touch asking that you curb your usage. If, however, you continue to exceed the limits they are likely to take action.

This could take the form of reducing the speed of your connection, therefore limiting the amount that can be downloaded, restricting your usage at peak times, charging you for your excess usage, or restricting your use of peer to peer sites.

In extreme cases, they might terminate your contract, cutting off your internet until you can get a new connection.

If, having signed up for an unlimited package, and anything like this does happen you dont have to just accept their decision. There is something you can do.

Dispute and resolution

Get in touch with Otelo, the telecommunication industrys watchdog, whose job it is to investigate complaints by customers. 33 per cent of ISPs are members of the body, so it is always advisable to use a company that is signed up, in case you do run into any problems. Click here to check if your provider is a member.

Otelo also charges members for being investigated so it will help your case to get them involved. If your ISP isnt a member of Otelo, try Ofcom, the independent regulator for the UK, who will still be able to help.

I have to face facts; Im a download-a-holic

If you know that you make big downloads, then it might simply be time to admit that you need to cut down.

But what counts as a big download? The average 12 track album is about 0.48GB, while a downloaded movie can be anything up to 1GB. Apples new movie downloads service, although only currently available in a US format, are 2.5GB in size.

You need to be realistic if you are doing a lot of downloading, you need a beefy package. It saves on the aggravation and cost of calls to your ISPs customer service centre.

So what is the right package?

Why go through the hassle of a fair usage deal and risk incurring the wrath of your ISP when you exceed your limit? Try a high end package where unlimited really means unlimited.

Some of the best providers for heavy downloaders at the moment are Telewest and ntl. Since they are not reliant on the old copper network and have fewer people sharing lines, you are less likely to run into fair usage problems. You could also try Be There Broadband a high-end download network for broadband users.

Fair usage deals

Theres nothing wrong with these deals, but you need to be careful and keep an eye on your downloading.

Use a download compressor

If you cant bear to cut down on your downloading, but dont want to spend more on upgrading your package, you could try using a download compressor like OnSpeed, which increases connection speed by compressing files. The software costs 24.99 for a 12 month subscription (though you still need to pay your ISP for your connection).

However, it cannot compress file downloads or uploads such as QuickTime files, MP3, AVI, MPEG, exes or streaming media content, so it is most useful for people who have already had restrictions put on their connection as it can increase broadband speeds by up to five times.

Read our guide to choosing a cheap broadband package in the UK. Compare packages and sort by price / check notes on any restrictions are also listed.

Cheaper Broadband: How to Find the Broadband Deal which Suits YOU?
With new ISP providers entering the market every day, the prices to get a high speed connection are falling. With so many to choose from, how do you decide broadband supplier offers the right package for you?Connection Speed - How fast?Be a little bit weary of broadband deals advertising "up to 8mb" connection etc. It may not mean that you will get the speed they advertise. The speed you will be able to get depends on your local exchange and what...

Internet Usage
Internet usage is a growing factor. Everyone uses the internet at some point in the day. A person may own a personal computer, they may have a laptop or they use the internet from work or school. People use the web and other online programs for various reasons. A person may enjoy reading the news, shopping or surfing the web. Other individual may like the music downloads, TV, movies or other types of videos that they can view. There are har...

Broadband in Europe
According to a survey carried out across Europe, broadband usage has seen a rise of around 12% from statistics from 2006. The survey asked 150,000 households across Europe - with the exception of Malta - about their broadband habits. The survey showed that in the first three months of 2007, 54% of households had access to an internet connection, a rise from around 49% in 2006.Results from the survey showed that around 42% of households in the EU...

Broadband Deals - Is Contract Broadband for You?
You are sure now that broadband is for you but not on what term or basis you want to have it. Better understanding of the packages and their norms offered by the providers and by calculating them along with you needs and other aspects, you can find out a better option.Are you flexible with your broadband deal? In the competitive market, you will be hearing of new services launched every month, in which you may find one to be a better deal for you...

Pros and Cons of Dial Up Access
Dial-up access is a form of Internet access through which the client uses a modem linked to a computer and telephone line. This is used to dial onto an Internet service provider node, to set up a modem-to-modem link, which is then routed to the Internet. In spite of the advent of widely available broadband Internet access globally, a number of people around the world prefer to connect through dial-up. This is for the simple reason that they do no...