Comcast to impose 1.2TB data cap on Northeastern US customers starting in 2021

As we move into the new generation of more normalized 4K gaming and video, data is becoming increasingly more strained as streamed video services and gaming become all the more standard as well. Unfortunately, some companies are adding to the issue instead of easing up on it. Such is the case with Comcast’s new policy on data caps for non-unlimited Xfinity customers coming to Northeastern U.S. states coming in 2021.

Comcast recently revealed its plans to impose a new data cap on non-unlimited Xfinity customers in certain states recently, as reported by The Verge. The new policy will put a 1.2TB data cap on non-unlimited customers in the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Vermont, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia, as well as parts of North Carolina and Ohio. If customers reach the cap and go over, they will be charged an extra $10 for every 50GB following, up to $100 in extra charges. This was a policy already implemented in further states with Comcast service, now being expanded to the above territories.

Even at current, data caps are likely an issue that players looking to experience Microsoft Flight Simulator to its fullest will run into right away. It will only become more of an issue once the PS5 and Xbox Series X generations of gaming are in full swing.

A data cap from a major telecommunications company is especially concerning in 2021 as the next generation of gaming comes into play in full force. Even now, with the existence of games like Microsoft Flight Simulator, which uses real-world map data provided by Microsoft’s Azure Cloud services to provide real-time mapping of the destinations the player visits, a data cap can quickly become a problem. And with the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 moving heavily into support of 4K resolution, it will only become a more widespread issue as Comcast expands its data cap policy.

Internet service providers have had a far greater opportunity to enact policies like Comcast’s since the FCC overturned Obama-era regulations that treated all internet traffic equally without preferential treatment. As such, there’s likely currently little that can be done on the part of Comcast customers without upgrading to a more premium and costly package. As we get deeper and deeper into UHD as a standard in streaming video and gaming, it’s likely an issue that will come up more and more as we cross into 2021 when these policies are enacted.