Rogers lowers download caps in Canada after Netflix announcement

Rogers Communications announced that they will be making adjustments to their current Internet service plans, and not for the better.

Just days after Internet movie streaming company Netflix announced that they would be expanding their empire into Canada, Rogers Communication released their lower monthly download caps. The changes directly affected two of the six available plans by Rogers, which range from 2GB to 175GB a month.

Customers who signed up after July 21 will notice that the “Lite” and “Extreme” services have been changed. Lite customers will now only have a 15GB cap, compared to 25GB before. The Extreme monthly cap package has been lowered from 90GB a month to just 80GB. The Extreme package will also get a boost from 10Mbps to 15Mbps, while the Lite plan speeds were unchanged.

Customers who signed up before July 21 will remain unchanged.

Rogers is the second largest Internet service provider in Canada, next to Bell, which offers similar services as Rogers, but offers faster and more affordable Internet service plans. Other companies like TekSavvy lease network access from both Rogers and Bell, while offering unlimited cap plans.

Rogers’ timely move might not only just be a cash grab for the company, but to protect its own version of Netflix, called Rogers On Demand, which offers users streaming TV shows and movies over your cable box or web browser. The service includes both free and paid video entertainment and allows you to rent movies or TV shows for 24 hours.