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The base MTCO data plan includes up to 1.5 TB (1,500 GB) of usage. This plan allows for a significant volume of Internet activity. For those who need more data, there is the option of upgrading to a higher data plan of 2 TB or Unlimited at a discounted rate. We’ve provided some usage examples in the following chart.

MTCO DATA PLAN OPTIONS	1.5TB	2TB
	$0	$15/mo.	$35/mo.
Hours of streaming online music	24,855 hours	33,140 hours	Unlimited
Stream one-minute YouTube videos (standard quality)	3,426 videos	4,568 videos	Unlimited
Watch hour-long TV shows online (high quaility)	1,500 shows	2,000 shows	Unlimited
Stream full-length movies (standard definition)	750 SD movies	1,000 SD movies	Unlimited
Stream full-length movies (high definition)	495 HD movies	660 HD movies	Unlimited

A gigabyte (GB) and a terabyte (TB) are both units of measurement of the amount of data that is transmitted over the Internet. A terabyte (TB) is equal to 1,000 gigabytes (GB). A typical standard definition one-hour TV show will consume around 1 GB of data while an HD quality, two-hour movie streamed over the Internet uses approximately 3 GBs. It is important to remember that a GB and a TB represent the amount of data sent over the network, and not the amount of time spent using the Internet.

Time alone is not the determining factor; it is the activity that matters. You could spend several hours reading emails, for example, and use less than 1 GB of data. On the other hand, you could spend 30 minutes downloading a movie and use 2 GB of data. It is important to remember that it is what you are doing on the Internet, not how long you do it, that determines the amount of data that you use.

Usage includes all of the data you have received (downloaded) or sent (uploaded). In addition, we take into account the standard network protocols (such as Ethernet and IP activity) that are used to transmit content via the Internet.

If you access the Internet through your wireless home network using any type of device (including smartphones and tablets), that access will be included. However, if you access the Internet via a public or commercial Wi-Fi hotspot or your cellular provider’s 3G/4G/5G network, that access is not counted toward your usage.

If you have not secured your home wireless gateway/router with a password, someone nearby with a computer or Wi-Fi enabled device could access your home network and use your High-Speed Internet Service, which could increase your monthly usage. MTCO recommends that you secure your wireless router/gateway to prevent others from using your connection. We suggest that you use Wireless Protected Access 2 (WPA2) for Wi-Fi security. Call 800-859-6826 for support in securing MTCO provided devices or your manufacturer’s website for help with securing your wireless router/gateway.

If you exceed your data plan, you will begin incurring overage fees at the rate indicated in the chart below.

DATA PLAN	MONTHLY RATE	OVERAGE FEES
1.5TB	Included	$10 per 50GB
2TB	$15	$7 per 50GB
	$35	No Overage Fees

If at any time throughout your data usage cycle (the 25th of the previous month through the 24th of the current month) you find you are exceeding your data plan, you have the option to upgrade to a data plan that will better fit your needs. Contact our Customer Service at 800-859-6826 for assistance in determining if an upgrade would be the most cost-effective solution for you.

To help you track and manage your usage, contact Customer Service at 800-859-6826 ...OR... complete an alert message request form online: HERE. Once you are enrolled, MTCO’s billing system will automatically issue a proactive notification at 80% of your usage and again when you have reached 90% and 100%. Alert messages will be issued to your enrolled email address, and you may also sign up to receive alert messages via SMS text message depending on your communication preferences.

MTCO’s online billing system (eBill) does provide your current usage up to the last hour. You can access your eBill portal at https://ebill.mtco.com. After logging in, select your Internet username on the lower portion of your eBill homepage and your current usage will be displayed. The Usage Indicator will reset at 12:01 a.m. on the 25th of each month to begin tracking your new cycle. Your previous month’s usage will be available after the billing cycle closes. For usage history, select Usage on the Dashboard which will give you the ability to look at various usage periods using the dropdown. In addition, your usage and Data Plan will also print on your monthly invoice in the MTCO Internet Usage section.

One step is to only watch HD video when the screen size requires it. For example, you would want to watch an HD streaming video on your flat-screen TV but SD video will look just fine on a tablet or cell phone. All the major Internet video providers provide options to stream either standard definition (SD) or high definition (HD) video. If you tend to binge-watch Netflix video series, be sure to stop the video stream when you are finished watching. Otherwise, this is akin to “leaving the water running” and your usage will increase due to the constant streaming even though you are no longer watching the video. This also relates to the streaming of YouTube videos, so it is wise to turn off the Auto Play feature. If you are a Bit Torrent user, then you may want to limit the ability of other people to access the content on your computer as this can accumulate a high volume of usage on your connection as well. Visit our How To Manage Data Usage guide for more details and ideas to reduce data usage.