Unlimited broadband deals sound almost too good to be true - and in many cases, they are. With internet users getting through ever-increasing amounts of data, many providers struggle to follow through on their offers of unlimited broadband. Existing regulations mean that internet service providers are able to advertise "unlimited broadband" services when unlimited service is subject to conditions outlined by each provider. In most cases, 'unlimited' broadband is subject to a 'fair usage' policy. These can vary considerably between providers, so it is important to read up on the fair usage policy of your provider before you start downloading enormous amounts of data or streaming high definition television through your connection. One of the most common conditions of fair usage policies is an limit on acceptable data usage. Both broadband providers and regulatory bodies alike have come under continued criticism for the counterintuitive way in which many services are advertised as unlimited - unlimited should mean unlimited, but in practice it often means the opposite. Many service providers will offer effective maximums somewhere in the regions of 20Gb per month - but there can be NO substitute for reading and understanding the specific terms of your policy. Another common condition of fair usage policies is that usage is unlimited - during a predetermined off-peak period, for example between midnight and 6am. This approach to fair usage can bring both advantages and disadvantages when compared to the overall maximum approach. On the one hand, this makes it possible for users to download as much data as they like when connections are uncontended and speeds are likely to be at their fastest anyway; on the other hand, this means that users are often subject to less generous limitations during peak hours. As well as the nature of your provider's fair usage policy, it is important to check what will happen to you if you breach the terms of your contract. In some cases, providers will levy significant additional charges on users who exceed the upper limit of what is deemed permissible by the provider. In others, providers may simply reduce the amount of bandwidth available to your connection for the remainder of the billing cycle. Other conditions are possible - so again, checking the specific terms of your specific contract is absolutely crucial to avoiding hot water. Finally, it is worth mentioning that whilst the vast majority of supposedly unlimited broadband deals do come with limitations, there are exceptions to this rule. As fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) connections become more prevalent over the next few years, more users may find themselves able to take advantage of truly unlimited broadband connections. Even the most limitless contracts will include some element of 'fair usage', otherwise providers might find themselves forced into allowing users to run high-traffic servers on domestic internet connections. From their point of view, this is both financially inviable and a breach of trust on the part of the consumer. At the risk of sounding repetitive, make sure that you do your research before engaging in extreme data consumption, preferably before signing a contract so you fully understand the terms - but at the very least, before you end up in an unpleasant situation with your service provider.
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