Data caps are still here, and they still cost you

Cable providers largely stopped advertising data caps, which is not the same as removing them. Xfinity, Cox, Mediacom and Sparklight all still meter usage in most of their footprint.

The numbers

The common allowance is 1.2–1.25 TB per month. Overage is typically $10 per 50 GB, capped at $100. Removing the cap costs $25–30 a month, which is often more than the difference between plan tiers.

Who actually hits it

1.2 TB sounds enormous, and for most households it is. What burns through it:

• 4K streaming. About 7 GB per hour. Two people watching four hours a night is 1.7 TB a month on its own.
• Cloud security cameras uploading continuously, 24 hours a day.
• Game downloads. Modern titles are 100–150 GB, and they patch constantly.
• Cloud backup, especially the first full sync of a photo library.

A family of four that streams in 4K and games will pass 1.2 TB routinely.

What to do

Check your usage meter in the provider's app before you assume it is not you — a slowdown that starts in week three and clears on the first of the month is a cap, not a fault. If you are consistently over, compare the cost of the unlimited add-on against switching: Spectrum, Optimum, WOW!, Astound and every fiber provider have no caps at all, and switching often costs less than the add-on.