That's actually not entirely correct at least where I live (Seattle area). The first X kWh or gallons of water are at a lower rate. The idea is that smaller hou

That's actually not entirely correct at least where I live (Seattle area). The first X kWh or gallons of water are at a lower rate. The idea is that smaller houses requiring less power and water can pay less whereas larger ones end up paying more because they will exceed the discounted tier. It's not exactly charged based on your income but it's closely correlated. If my internet was billed like my water bill then it would be something like $20/month for access $1/GB for first 50 GB download $2/GB for any GB over 50 download $5/GB for upload traffic And that would be the city rate, and on top of that there would be extra charges per GB for the county because, and a whole bunch of surcharges and taxes. I for one am glad that internet is not billed like my water is.