Because Linode and similar overcommit their bandwidth given that they're charging a package deal - most people won't actually use the full allocated bandwidth.

Because Linode and similar overcommit their bandwidth given that they're charging a package deal - most people won't actually use the full allocated bandwidth. AWS/GCE charge for actual bandwidth usage, which means that everyone uses exactly what they pay for, and the folks who use less bandwidth don't subsidize the folks who use more.