Telcos and Bandwidth Charges

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Yet another article about how wireless providers need to get more money from consumers.  Money quote
The end game for operators is to figure out how to get people to use less data or pay more for the privilege, while also steering users to content that makes users happy without straining the network. So maybe they offer unlimited Facebook and charge more for Netflix. After all, the last thing they want to do is to scare people from signing up for data plans for fear of expensive overage fees....The point here is that as operators try to change the way they charge, because the current models aren’t economically sustainable for them, consumers have to believe the deal is reasonable. That’s why I’ve been a proponent of measures such as data happy hours or other plans that incent users to use the network during non-peak times. Doing so helps manage congestion, and can still generate revenue for carriers.
The entire article sounds like the discussion we had (and are still having!) with banks about debit-card fees.  Just because you (the company) have made a rentiers fortune in the past charging for stuff that doesn't cost you anything does not imply any sort of implied right to continue extracting said rents.  Ethereal Mind has it right - either get used to less 'free money', or build out additional bandwidth.  Hey, it seems to work out just fine in the rest of the world...

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