Is it the first step toward so-called Internet metering? Comcast said late last week that it would place limits on customers’ broadband usage. Starting Oct. 1 Comcast will put a 250 gigabyte-a-month cap on residential users (the average customer uses two to three gigbytes a month). Comcast and other Web providers have considered clamping down on their most active users to ensure fair access for all. The move is not likely to affect most Web users — for now. However, some Web commentators said Comcast’s decision could have a chilling effect on the ability to download heavy Web files. Om Malik, the founder of GigaOm, called the cap “the end of the Internet as we know it.”
