With more and more households piling on internet data usage devices , i.e. smart phones, tablets, video streaming services and even household pet surveillance systems, internet service providers will begin finding ways to charge for the increased data overloads.

If you are a customer of Cox Communications in south Louisiana, you will soon have to pay more for streaming video or playing games online at home.

The Atlanta-based cable TV and Internet provider announced it will institute data usage caps for residential customers beginning July 6.

Starting on that date, residential customers will be entitled to one terabyte of data usage without being charged extra.

The Advocate's Timothy Boone said that's enough to watch 140 HD movies, 150 hours of standard definition television, 1,500 short web videos, surf the internet for 3,000 hours and listen to 30,000 songs.

After the one terabyte threshold is met, customers will be charged $10 for every subsequent 50 gigabytes of data usage.

A Cox spokesperson said "the generous plan" will not affect most of the company's residential users as "only 2 percent of Cox subscribers are using more than a terabyte of data per month."

Other internet providers including AT&T, ComCast and CenturyLink are also setting data caps for residential subscribers.

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To read the Advocate's original article click here.

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