{"id":3846,"date":"2014-12-02T18:11:00","date_gmt":"2014-12-02T18:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.publicknowledge.org\/press-release\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/"},"modified":"2024-06-17T16:17:56","modified_gmt":"2024-06-17T16:17:56","slug":"gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/","title":{"rendered":"GAO Report Highlights Problems With Data Caps"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today, in response to a request from Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, the GAO <\/span>released a report<\/a> on the impact and perception of broadband data caps. The report follows a series of studies<\/a> commissioned by Public Knowledge on consumer perceptions of broadband service. Reviewed together, these reports show that consumers are skeptical of broadband providers\u2019 use of caps in a market where it\u2019s increasingly difficult to change providers.<\/p>\n

The following can be attributed to Michael Weinberg, Vice President of Public Knowledge:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis report is further evidence that today\u2019s data caps work against the best interests of consumers and the growth of the internet. Consumers and ISPs alike are unable to reliably determine which online activities are data-intensive or how much data a given activity will require. It\u2019s no surprise that consumers doubt their ability to accurately track their own data usage when ISP estimates of data requirements for standard activities vary by a factor of five. In fact, the only thing customers agree on is that ISPs are likely to use data caps to increase their bills.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe report also highlights that today\u2019s data caps are not truly about consumer choice. Few customers have adopted offerings of small discounts in exchange for restrictive data caps. At the same time, ISPs are steadily moving away from the one option that the report found consumers consistently demand – unlimited data plans.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBy creating a disincentive to adopt distance education, teleworking, online video, and even security updates, data caps also work to undermine the virtuous cycle that the FCC has described as the heart of the Open Internet proceeding. Public Knowledge thanks Representative Eshoo and the GAO for shedding additional light on data caps, and hopes the FCC will move quickly to adopt strong Open Internet rules that prevent all types of discrimination, including discrimination instigated by data caps.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Main page scroller image credit: Flickr user Don Hankins<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today, in response to a request from Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, the GAO released a report on the impact and perception of broadband data caps. The report follows a series of studies commissioned by Public Knowledge on consumer perceptions of broadband service. Reviewed together, these reports show that consumers are skeptical of broadband providers\u2019 use of caps in a market where it\u2019s increasingly difficult to change providers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":37016,"parent":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[13],"class_list":["post-3846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-release","tag-net-neutrality"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGAO Report Highlights Problems With Data Caps - Public Knowledge<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Public Knowledge promotes freedom of expression, an open internet, and access to affordable communications tools and creative works. We work to shape policy.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"GAO Report Highlights Problems With Data Caps\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Public Knowledge promotes freedom of expression, an open internet, and access to affordable communications tools and creative works. We work to shape policy.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Public Knowledge\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-12-02T18:11:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-06-17T16:17:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/2524306151_64a30174fd_o.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1279\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"758\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Public Knowledge\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Public Knowledge\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Public Knowledge\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/#\/schema\/person\/b91ba827ec861d0c69e297ab67384598\"},\"headline\":\"GAO Report Highlights Problems With Data Caps\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-12-02T18:11:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-06-17T16:17:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/\"},\"wordCount\":324,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/2524306151_64a30174fd_o.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Net Neutrality\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Press Release\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/\",\"name\":\"GAO Report Highlights Problems With Data Caps - Public Knowledge\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/2524306151_64a30174fd_o.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-12-02T18:11:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-06-17T16:17:56+00:00\",\"description\":\"Public Knowledge promotes freedom of expression, an open internet, and access to affordable communications tools and creative works. We work to shape policy.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/2524306151_64a30174fd_o.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/2524306151_64a30174fd_o.jpg\",\"width\":1279,\"height\":758},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"GAO Report Highlights Problems With Data Caps\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/\",\"name\":\"Public Knowledge\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Public Knowledge\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/pk_social_logo-2.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/pk_social_logo-2.png\",\"width\":400,\"height\":200,\"caption\":\"Public Knowledge\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/#\/schema\/person\/b91ba827ec861d0c69e297ab67384598\",\"name\":\"Public Knowledge\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fd5fff7e31f168b0a0339f1333b8374dc2802924d4aba14b0f6fccbbb4f082df?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fd5fff7e31f168b0a0339f1333b8374dc2802924d4aba14b0f6fccbbb4f082df?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Public Knowledge\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/author\/publicknowledge\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"GAO Report Highlights Problems With Data Caps - Public Knowledge","description":"Public Knowledge promotes freedom of expression, an open internet, and access to affordable communications tools and creative works. We work to shape policy.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"GAO Report Highlights Problems With Data Caps","og_description":"Public Knowledge promotes freedom of expression, an open internet, and access to affordable communications tools and creative works. We work to shape policy.","og_url":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/","og_site_name":"Public Knowledge","article_published_time":"2014-12-02T18:11:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-06-17T16:17:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1279,"height":758,"url":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/2524306151_64a30174fd_o.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Public Knowledge","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Public Knowledge","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/"},"author":{"name":"Public Knowledge","@id":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/#\/schema\/person\/b91ba827ec861d0c69e297ab67384598"},"headline":"GAO Report Highlights Problems With Data Caps","datePublished":"2014-12-02T18:11:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-06-17T16:17:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/"},"wordCount":324,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/2524306151_64a30174fd_o.jpg","keywords":["Net Neutrality"],"articleSection":["Press Release"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/","url":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/","name":"GAO Report Highlights Problems With Data Caps - Public Knowledge","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/2524306151_64a30174fd_o.jpg","datePublished":"2014-12-02T18:11:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-06-17T16:17:56+00:00","description":"Public Knowledge promotes freedom of expression, an open internet, and access to affordable communications tools and creative works. We work to shape policy.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/2524306151_64a30174fd_o.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/2524306151_64a30174fd_o.jpg","width":1279,"height":758},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/gao-report-highlights-problems-with-data-caps\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"GAO Report Highlights Problems With Data Caps"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/","name":"Public Knowledge","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/#organization","name":"Public Knowledge","url":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/pk_social_logo-2.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/pk_social_logo-2.png","width":400,"height":200,"caption":"Public Knowledge"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/#\/schema\/person\/b91ba827ec861d0c69e297ab67384598","name":"Public Knowledge","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fd5fff7e31f168b0a0339f1333b8374dc2802924d4aba14b0f6fccbbb4f082df?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fd5fff7e31f168b0a0339f1333b8374dc2802924d4aba14b0f6fccbbb4f082df?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Public Knowledge"},"url":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/author\/publicknowledge\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3846","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/50"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3846"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3846\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3846"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3846"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}