Look, Comcast, we get it: you think we’re stupid. We’ve seen your bottomless contempt for the consumer time and time again. But come on, guys. At least try to disguise it a little bit.
We bring this up because Comcast has a 250GB data cap per month on its service, which applies to Netflix and means you can watch 20 movies in HD a month before you risk having your account summarily terminated. No, seriously, Comcast will just shut you off. No warning, no appeal.
Unless, of course, you happen to be streaming video from Comcast’s new service on the XBox 360! That doesn’t apply to bandwidth caps on your Comcast service at all!
Leaving aside the fact that this is blatantly anti-competitive and deliberately designed to target a business Comcast hates, there’s this little insulting gem on their FAQ:
Q: Will XFINITY On Demand content a customer views via the Xbox 360 go against their bandwidth cap?
A: No, since the content is being delivered over our private IP network and not the public Internet, it does not count against a customer’s bandwidth cap. XFINITYTV.com and the XFINITY TV app stream content over the public Internet and count toward the customer’s bandwidth cap.
So, let’s get this straight: it’s the same data. It goes over the same cables. It arrives and is transmitted with the same modem…aaaaaaaaand you want us to believe that somehow, some way, “the public Internet” needs to be capped but with your own services, your customers can run wild.
In other words, you want to be AOL. …OK, good luck with that. Also enjoy the now-inevitable visit from federal authorities.
(Image via dmuth on Flickr)