Working from home or streaming more? You may be facing a huge internet bill soon
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way many of us go to work every day. Millions of Americans are still working from home, which means they’re relying on their internet connection more than ever before.
More internet activity means increased data usage and potentially higher bills. That’s why many internet service providers took it upon themselves to remove data caps during the early stages of the pandemic. Tap or click here to see how this worked.
But now that we’ve reached the end of October, many of the pandemic assistance programs put out by ISPs are slowly coming to an end. For many Americans, data caps are back — and internet bills are about to spike drastically. Here’s what you can do about it.
Data caps for some, higher bills for all
The “Wall Street Journal” reports that numerous ISPs have started winding down their customer support options as the pandemic drags on. Services like Comcast, Cox and others have begun to reinstate data caps and overage fees as work-from-home demands create a strain on broadband.
One data process analyst cited by the WSJ was told by Comcast that he had exceeded his data limits back in July. Apparently, he would be on the hook for a $50 surcharge if he kept exceeding the cap.
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It might seem unfair at first glance, but there’s a reason these caps exist. Data caps are designed to place the burden of network strain on the heaviest users. Unfortunately, the pandemic has made almost every at-home student or worker a heavy user. And, being businesses, ISPs claim they can’t afford to keep footing the bill forever.
So what are users to do? At this stage in the game, there are only a few options: Pay the extra fees, change your rate plan or find ways to curb data use.
Every ISP will have different plans on returning to “normal billing,” so make sure to give yours a call and find out what your options are. Believe us: They’re more than happy to tell you how much they plan on charging you.
On a positive note, at least one ISP is forbidden from capping internet use by the FCC: Charter. If you’re a Charter subscriber, you won’t see a bump in your bill until at least May 2021.
Free way to turn your phone into a webcam
With many working from home for the first time, video conferencing is a new part of the daily routine. However, built-in laptop webcams are notoriously bad, and standalone webcams can be pricey and hard to find now that everyone needs one. Luckily, there’s an easy solution: using your phone as your computer’s webcam.
This is why YouTube's video quality just got worse and how to fix it
Updated 03/24/2020 – YouTube announced that starting this week it will reduce the quality of video playback on its site for everyone around the globe for one month. This is an effort to ease the stress on internet networks due to the massive number of people online during the coronavirus pandemic. You can still watch videos in HD but you have to change the setting manually. We’ll tell you how to adjust this setting in the next section.
Add a retro touch to your iPhone videos with this app
Gone are the days of simple videos. There are countless apps and filters you can use to make your clips pop. You can even record in 4K with your iPhone. Just tap or click here to learn how.
But while higher video quality continues to impress, intentionally lower quality videos can also make an otherwise average clip shine.