In Australia, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) assign quotas to their broadband packages. Having a broadband quota means there is a limit assigned to how much web activity you can undertake, eg how many web pages you can view, how many movies, songs and photos you can download or how many emails you can receive.
Once you reach your quota limit for the month, it is common practice for ISPs to charge excess usage fees. This means for every extra amount of data you download, you have to pay a fee which can quickly add up into a larger bill for your internet than you expect.
An alternative method is called shaping, which instead slows your internet speed right down when you reach your quota limit, rather than charging any extra fees. This seems like a fairer (and less costly method) to us, so this is what we do at iiNet.
Visit iiHelp for more information on shaping.