As if there aren’t enough challenges to a successful telecommuting experience, here’s another one to worry about!

I just read an article in the New York Times today about how Time Warner Cable is experimenting in some towns with limits on their internet service.

I’d heard buzz about this before but this is the first time I’ve come across it in practice. The idea is that most people only use a limited amount of bandwidth on their internet but there’s a few users who are network hogs and use huge amount of bandwidth for downloading videos, movies, etc. Rather than making everyone pay the same, the idea is if you want to go over the limit your ISP (Internet Service Provider) sets, you pay extra.

In principle, I understand the approach of paying more if you use more. However this may be yet another roadblock for telecommuters. As telecommuters, we are likely to be heavy internet users because we’re very actively working all day, transferring large files, etc. So now we may have increased internet access rates to look forward to in the future.

But hang in there. It’s not over until the fat lady sings. ISPs are just starting to play with this model, so it will probably be some time until they go mainstream with it. And even then, this may hit your employer’s pocket and not yours if you’re lucky enough to work for a company that pays for, or reimburses you for, your ISP charges.

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