Cox Communication will roll out a pilot program in Cleveland this summer that will tack overage fees onto the bills of customers who exceed the limits of their data plans. However, a national spokeswoman for Cox says the company has “no immediate plans to launch this in Louisiana or any of our other markets at this time.”
“This is just a trial in Cleveland,” says Stacie Schafer, senior manager for Cox Communications.
An online news site about the broadband industry, DSLReports.com, reported Thursday that Cox will charge Cleveland customers an overage fee of $10 for every 50 GB over their usage cap they travel. The website reports that from June to September, those customers will have the usage overages tallied on their bills but won’t actually be charged—not until October, that is, according to an unnamed source with familiarity with the company’s plans.
The report also suggests the program is being tested ahead of a potential nationwide deployment. Shafer characterizes the assertion that nationwide overage fees are in the offing as “speculation,” though she says the company is exploring alternative pricing options in the face of increased data usage by customers.
Shafer says it’s important to note that 95% of Cox customers are in plans that provide them with adequate data and will not be affected by the overage fees.
“Most of our customers are in the proper plan and have more than enough coverage to meet their needs,” she says. “It’s the small number that exceed their plan that would be affected by this. That’s why we’re experimenting.”
—Stephanie Riegel
