AT&T will gamble with monthly bandwidth caps in Nevada

AT&T has told the Federal Communications Commission that it's going to conduct a little experiment out west. Starting in this month, some of its customers in Reno, Nevada will be informed that their broadband will be "subject to a certain monthly usage tier for the total amount of data they may send and receive, as well as a per gigabyte charge in the event they exceed the usage tier." How will these lucky test consumers know when they have reached this threshold? Two AT&T representatives outlined the plan in a meeting held on October 30 with a legal adviser to FCC Chair Kevin Martin. Customers will be equipped with an "online usage metering tool that displays a running total of the amount of data the customer has transmitted during a given month," the reps explained. If they reach 80 percent of their quota, Reno's broadband borderliners will get a notice from AT&T about the usage tier and the charges incurred if they exceed it.