Bigpond drop the word "unlimited"

Quietly in the last few weeks, Bigpond have renamed their "Unlimited" plan to "Liberty".

This label was always misleading. The plans were never unlimited. Once you reached the limit, you were capped to slower speeds.

While misusing the word "unlimited" is typical IT industry behaviour, it's preferable to the alternative, a massive excess use charge. The 200, 400 and 500Mb plans are designed to hit customers with excess bills. The 200Mb plan would end up costing the typical family over $70 a month.

It worries me when I hear schools bullying families to get on to the net. Too many of those families will sign up with Bigpond and opt for the cheapest possible plan. Throw a couple of kids surfing for free music on that machine and a 29.95 plan could easily become a $29,950 plan.