But I don't understand why you lump 1GB+ plans in with unlimited. I'm currently paying for 4GB/month of data and I should be able to use it all for whatever I feel like.
Think of it this way, "The expectation is that you will use 500MB/month, but you are allowed to burst to 5GB."
Without that sort of buffer the carriers get a lot of negative press about bill shock - such as when people use their mobile phones on cruise ships.
I pay $10/GB if I go over, and that's pretty reasonable. I've exceeded my plan in the past and the additional charges are entirely sane.
No carrier is getting negative press because of a $10 overage charge, or even a $50 overage charge. They get negative press when they charge $10 for 30kB for roaming without warning the customer, and then the customer gets a bill for $15,000.
Aside from that, you are of course correct. And even for those of us who would probably pay more under a metered plan, it would still be better in that you'd know where the limits are, and the ISP would have every incentive to support you. As it stands now, you get "unlimited" but you actually have an invisible line, and crossing it gets you a Talk.
Otherwise, I'm not sure I get the big deal about metered data. It's gonna suck for people who use a ton of data, but aren't those people currently kinda being subsidized by the customers who pay the same rate but use a tiny fraction as much?
The onerous (5GB cap) TWC "Broadband Essentials" service gives you a $5 saving. $5 out of a $60 bill for going from 250 allowed GB to 5.
The providers are never going to charge you less. What you're paying now for unlimited will be the absolute minimum fee, plus troll tolls on top of it.
But the definition of metered billing is that people who use less data will be charged less and people who use more will pay more. That's probably a good deal for people who use less than average and a bad deal for people who use more than average.