AT&T Terminates DSL Metered-Billing Trials
Posted by Jesse Ward on Thursday, June 17, 2010 · 
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AT&T very quietly terminated its DSL metered-billing trials in Reno, Nev., and Beaumont, Texas. The caps were terminated as of April 1, this according to AT&T spokeswoman Dawn Benton who confirmed the news to the Associated Press earlier this week.
AT&T initially started the trial in November 2008 in Reno, and it was later extended to Beaumont. The company provided its DSL subscribers with data consumption limits, and charged them extra if they exceed the maximum cap. Subscribers to the telco’s slowest DSL service were limited to 20 gigabytes per month. The limit increased with the speed of the plan, up to 150 gigabytes per month. Those who exceeded the maximum cap paid $1 per gigabyte.
AT&T told Broadband Reports that the shut down was largely due to the high costs of support, and systems needed to run the trial. However, as you might remember, Time Warner Cable (TWC) was the first major public proponent of the idea, and also conducted a trial in Beaumont. TWC discontinued its plans when it was faced with harsh criticism from consumers and legislators. One can only assume that TWC’s PR disaster might have influenced AT&T’s plans.
The results of the AT&T’s trial are unknown. “We’re reviewing data from the trial, and this feedback will guide us as we evaluate our next steps,” AT&T’s Benton said.
With AT&T’s retreat, no major Internet service provider is publicly advocating for capping data consumption for fixed broadband subscribers. But the problem remains: how to curb “bandwidth hogs,” subscribers who consume an inordinate amount of data, slowing down service for other users.
In the case of wireless networks which have much lower capacity, bandwidth limits are frustrating to consumers, but the public has not expressed the same backlash to the concept. In fact, earlier this month AT&T imposed limits on smartphone data consumption.
For more on AT&T, see this Associated Press report.
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