While the Meter is Running: Computing in a Capped World

• Published in: Interactions (New York, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2011-03, Vol.18 (2), p.72
• Main Authors: Chetty, Marshini, Banks, Richard, Brush, AJ Bernheim, Donner, Jonathan, Grinter, Rebecca E
• Format: Magazinearticle
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bandwidths; Broadband; Internet; Internet access; Service introduction; Studies
• ISSN: 1072-5520; 1558-3449
• DOI: 10.1145/1925820.1925836

To be clear, a metered Internet connection is not the same as a slow Internet connection. Yet, metered bandwidth is worthy of exploration by the HCI community, because it imposes different constraints to slow Internet speeds. Low-bandwidth caps are common for digital subscriber line (DSL) users in South Africa, Australia, and India, and in some entry-level broadband plans in Canada. The authors have chosen to study bandwidth caps in South Africa because most broadband users in the country have known no other way of accessing the Internet at home. They set out to investigate how households choose their plans and how these metered plans affect their patterns and norms of Internet use. They are struck by how almost everyone they spoke to was aware of the bandwidth constraint, adopting similar strategies to manage this limited resource, regardless of income level.