PHILADELPHIA, PA — Technology and the business of technology are funny, but not always in a “ha-ha” way. While Americans increasingly turn to the internet for access to information and entertainment, at least one broadband provider is telling them to back the hell off.According to ConsumerAffairs.com, an increasing number of Comcast Internet subscribers are reporting that they’ve received letters from the company warning them to stop downloading so much content – or find themselves another way to get online. This is a particular hardship for those living in areas with limited broadband alternatives.

Although Comcast once billed itself as an “unlimited” access option, its Acceptable Use Policy cautions subscribers to adhere to the company’s bandwidth download limit or risk losing service for a year. Unfortunately, the precise limit is never mentioned; not in the AUP, not on the website, and not in any printed material released by Comcast — leaving users in the dark about how much is too much and when to say “when.”

What is said during the 23-page online document is that subscribers may not generate “levels of traffic sufficient to impede others’ ability to send or retrieve information.” What that means in practical terms is uncertain and potentially subject to interpretation – especially if company spokesperson Charlie Douglas is correct when he tells ConsumerAffairs.com that users sharing a single data pipe can lose their access privileges if it is believed to be slowing that of other subscribers. Logically, this would mean that how much one can download depends on how many fellow subscribers share a pipe – something no consumer could be expected to know. No wonder Douglas refuses to provide an exact number.

Compounding the problem for customers is the fact that Comcast customer service employees often have no idea what complaining customers are talking about or think calls about the matter are pranks.

That’s what happened to West Jordan, UT computer tech and ex-Comcast subscriber Frank Carreiro, who created a “Comcast Broadband dispute” blog at comcastissue.blogspot.com chronicling the battle. His household was accused of downloading between 200 – 300 gigabytes of data per month, yet when he began his new service and chose to track its traffic load, the numbers came to 50 gigs max; nowhere near Comcast’s claims.

Although Douglas insists that a mere .001 of Comcast users violate the company’s download limits, Carreiro states that he’s heard from hundreds of people in 15 states during a five month period, all telling similar stories. Lucky for them Comcast offers a more dedicated data stream for business account holders. Too bad it costs “roughly $1,500 per month.”