Visitor
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Cox internet unlimited or upsell?
I’ve been a Cox customer for decades, and this has bothered me for years.
When I originally signed up, my internet service was unlimited. Around 2017-2018 (march if I remember), Cox rolled out data caps (initially around 1 TB per month) and began charging overage fees. At the time, when I questioned it, the representative told me that “most people do not use that much data.” That was the justification.
If most people supposedly didn’t use that much data, then why is unlimited now being offered again, but only as a paid add-on?
From a customer’s perspective, it feels like unlimited service was removed and then sold back to us. That doesn’t feel like network management or fairness, it feels like an upsell strategy. Internet usage naturally increases over time due to streaming, remote work, cloud storage, and larger file sizes. That’s not abuse — that’s normal modern usage.
I’ve been thinking about writing this for a long time, and I’m finally posting it because this issue hasn’t gone away. After decades as a customer, it’s frustrating to see a previously included feature turned into a paid upgrade.
I’d genuinely like to hear a clear explanation from Cox about why this approach is justified, and whether long-term customers will ever see unlimited data restored without an added fee.
CurtB
Honored Contributor
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2.1K Messages
4 months ago
Data usage also increased with faster Internet speeds. One reason game developers can create 50 GB games is because high-speed Internet allows them to be downloaded quickly. (50 GB at 600 Mbps would download in just over 11 minutes). Imagine trying to do that 10 years ago. Fast speed is great, but it allows you to use your allocated data limit faster. A serious conspiracy theorist might speculate that it's a long-term Cox plan to provide faster Internet so that customers will use more data and generate data cap fees. I'm kidding, but somebody at Cox HQ may have actually thought about the extra fees it generates. It would have been harder to use 1.25 TB of data 10 years ago because of slower speeds and the reasons you mentioned.
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Darkatt
Honored Contributor
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2K Messages
4 months ago
The answer is, SOME people use a LOT of data. We are talking Terabytes upon Terabytes of data, and just like the idjut on the highway driving 100 mph, or the nut jobs drive 50 mph through active schools zones, they make it harder on everyone else. Because of this, Cox had to take some kind of action to keep things fair for all users.
Data usage has also gone up for a lot of reasons. 4K video streaming, can pull as much as 7-16 GB/Hr. 6 hrs at an average of 11gb/hr is 66gb, over a month, that is a LOT. Let's say you have 2 4k tv's, and multiple people watching the 2 of them, that pulls even MORE data.
(edited)
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