Maybe the biggest effect of metered usage will be more emotional than rational. Most people don't appreciate that 30 minutes editing Google Docs consumes 100x

Maybe the biggest effect of metered usage will be more emotional than rational. Most people don't appreciate that 30 minutes editing Google Docs consumes 100x less data than a 30-minute Skype audio call. And the Skype call consumes 100x less than streaming a Netflix movie. With flat-rate pricing there's no urge to conserve. But when there's a cap or penalty pricing people will almost certainly use less of everything.