AT&T Responds to Net Neutrality Concerns Regarding FaceTime Usage Policy

[TheAustrianGuy]

I can only recommend moving to Austria...

...where data is just data, and cheap, too (4€/GB on a flexible plan, or around 20€ for unlimited)

 

[samcraig]

AT&T should just eliminate the unlimited data plans.

In reality they have. After 3GB, it's more than likely you get throttled to the point of non-use. Not always - but it happens.

 

[lw9090]

Time to start Jailbraking. And I will start redownloading my iTunes Match weekly on 3G to kill thier Sucky Network even more. Still on unlimited here.

 

[Azzin]

I'm in the UK, so not affected by AT&T's decision, but this kind of corporate behaviour really gets my goat.

Has anyone thought of emailing Tim Cook to get his take on it?

Pointless me doing it, because he'd say "But you can't get AT&T in the UK so be grateful for that and stop whining!"

[Edit] - This made me chuckle...

Former lawyer Nilay Patel from the Verge had this to say:

 

[roland.g]

On a side note, never been a fan of the FaceTime app icon. Which interestingly enough doesn't exist on the iPhone. Only on the iPad and Mac.

 

[Dsz6sx]

Dear Apple,
Make a FaceTime App... Say it's an app for all Apple devices and computers! Go around AT&T's new share plan rule.

 

[Codyak]

After ALL these press releases (not even just the FaceTime related news), why does anyone want to give them a dime. At this point it should be the principle of the thing to stand up to this non-sense.

 

[BladesOfSteel]

Save us Apple! We need you to be a cell provider! They screw YOUR customers, they refuse to push YOUR phone, how much more are you going to take before you throw us a life line?

(Wouldn't it be awesome if Apple said, ok, now Facetime is a downloadable app! lol)

Right . . . because Apple wouldn't overcharge for their cell service . . .

 

[supmango]

This just reinforces my decision to switch away from ATT several years ago. Good to know nothing has changed.

 

[gregorypierce]

AT&Ts argument is still flawed. If you are limiting access out of concern for the stability and operation of the network, how does allowing subscribers of a different subscription class access not cause risk? AT&T does not have logic on its side here. They are clearly just using their market position to force users to a different plan with FaceTime as the hammer. People are already paying for those bits. There is no unlimited data panic button they can use because they have already hit that button and capped those plans. This is all just ******** maneuvering with the letter, not the intent, of what the law states. If the wrong folks get in office, they hope to roll that ALL back too.

 

[terraphantm]

AND rollover minutes. The grass is NOT greener at Verizon. Pick whoever has a signal in your area.

But man, Verizon sucks if you can't get LTE service. Slow 3G. Non existent 2G. No data & voice at the same time.

AT&T provides 2 flavors of 3G. A 4 Mb version (vs. Verizon 1 Mb) and HDSPA+ which is something like 8Mb. And now they have pretty competitive LTE as well. All of which provide data and voice at same time. Including 2G. PLUS rollover minutes. And if you're like us with unlimited data, life is good.

They're screwing us with the mobile hotspot thing though. That's why I've got Verizon iPad. Since rollover isn't applicable, and I can't get unlimited data on it, them not charging an extra $20 a month just to turn on a mobile hotspot made them a brain dead choice in the iPad.

Plus, one or the other is sure to have coverage. I just turn the Verizon cell service on / off as necessary.

If you accumulate any substantial amount of RO minutes, you're on too high of a plan anyway.

And while ATT's speeds are decent, that's only if you live in a sparsely populated area. In any big cities (my most recent experiences in DC and NYC), I'm lucky to get any data throughput at all even if I have 5 bars on "4g" - Verizon actually works in such areas. + With their LTE expanding rapidly (won't be long until it matches ATT's dismal 3G coverage), speed is hardly a reason to stick with AT&T anymore.

Back in the day, my family switched from Verizon to AT&T because of Verizon's ridiculous limitations (no Bluetooth file transfer, many blackberries didn't have wifi or accessible gps, etc...). But Verizon got better about that, and now AT&T is limiting its phones via data. So I might just switch back. Heck, I may even switch to android if I'm not impressed on September 12th.. But that's another topic.

 

[profets]

Dear Apple,
Make a FaceTime App... Say it's an app for all Apple devices and computers! Go around AT&T's new share plan rule.

Or... don't give carriers the ability to disable facetime?

 

[doelcm82]

Right . . . because Apple wouldn't overcharge for their cell service . . .

...or make you upgrade in order to get certain features!

 

[slykens]

Their network, their rules. Apple had no choice.

OUR (the public's) RF spectrum. Perhaps it's time we apply OUR rules such as was done with Verizon's 700 MHz spectrum for open access. It's too bad when the original PCS and mobile telephony licenses were issued they didn't have the foresight to know what kinds of services we would be consuming today.

If companies do not wish to operate in the public interest while using public resources then they should be replaced with companies who are willing to do so.

And I am in no way a lefty.

 

[dotme]

Indeed, the rules do not require that providers make available any preloaded apps. Rather, they address whether customers are able to download apps that compete with our voice or video telephony services. AT&T does not restrict customers from downloading any such lawful applications

Translation: You can download it. You just can't use it.

What a crock.

For the record, AT&T, I do plan to "download" iOS 6. It won't be preloaded on my iDevice.

 

[gorskiegangsta]

Translation:
We will violate general net neutrality rules, but we'll be transparent about it because we know there's no real incentive to stop us. And, if you [the customer] don't like it, feel free to choose from "countless" other providers available in the US [evil laugh].

Until the FCC grows some balls and all those politicians that spent their efforts campaigning against useless stuff like violence in video games and sex in cinema focus on the real issue that could seriously hinder free speech on the nearly ubiquitous form of communication [the internet] for future generations, we'll all continue to be royally screwed by these telecommunication companies who have grown to have no shame in their tactics to continue to exploit the consumer to further continue to collect raw profits from their cash cow.
[/end rant]

 

[terraphantm]

Right . . . because Apple wouldn't overcharge for their cell service . . .

Yeah... As much as I like apple, there's no way I'd buy cell phone service through them. They may be decently priced at first, but once they get too big, they'll be worse than the duopoly we have right now with AT&T and vzw.

 

[msteffer]

*************. How does switching me to a shared data plan alleviate strain on the network? AT&T has experienced wild success with the iPhone in the form of large voice and data contracts. Now, they want to abuse that success on a technicality. As someone posted previously, it may not violate net neutrality technically, but definitely the spirit of it.

I see a few more palatable solutions.

1. Kick everyone off unlimited data. (Boo-hoo. You're getting throttled anyways.) Then everyone would be on a level playing field and let people decide how they want to use their data. If I blow through my cap in 1 day from lengthy FaceTime over cellular, then I'll just get hit with costly overage data charges. Everyone wins - I get to use MY data how I please, and AT&T gets paid, which is really all they want.

2. Data speed-based plans, instead of volume plans. Someone posted on this previously at length, but it's what the landline carriers are already doing. You could even have 3 tiers - Edge, 3G, and LTE. You could even limit FaceTime to LTE (even though we all know it works fine over 3G, and probably Edge).

I would love to see Rollover data. I like FaceTime, but I'm not switching to a shared data plan to get it.

 

[joelisfar]

If Apple were to make FaceTime a downloadable app, problem solved!

Not a bad idea! Lots of free Apple apps are in the App Store – iBooks, Podcasts, Find My iPhone, Find My Friends, AirPort Utility

I know Facetime is supposed to be more integrated but still... sounds like a good workaround.

 

[kmm1482]

AT&T is working REALLY hard to get rid of all the customers with grandfathered Unlimited data plans.

 

[Wild-Bill]

At&t sucks

Soooooooo glad I switched to VZ when the 4s came out.

Of course, ALL mobile service providers are greedy bastards, but AT&T has the added feature of having horrible service and generally sucking.

I hope the consumer backlash is fierce. Vote with your wallets, people.

 

[gregorypierce]

AT&T should just eliminate the unlimited data plans.

If they said it wasn't allowed on the unlimited data plan, that might make some sense (although it is capped to 3gb and is thus not really unlimited anymore). What they have stated, however, is that it is only for the share plans - so they are forcing users who didn't even have a reason to have that plan (ie a user with just one phone) to move to that substantially more expensive plan to use that feature. They are essentially raping a segment of their user base.

Curious to see Verizon's move.

 

[RoelJuun]

I still hate the FaceTime icon (yeah yeah the one in the article isn't the right one). Especially in Finder in icon view with the text beneath the icon.

OT:
AT&T, US, couldn't care less as a European

 

[d0vr]

So if FT was no longer a pre installed option, and you had to download it from the app store, AT&T would be screwed?

 

[doelcm82]

OUR (the public's) RF spectrum. Perhaps it's time we apply OUR rules such as was done with Verizon's 700 MHz spectrum for open access. It's too bad when the original PCS and mobile telephony licenses were issued they didn't have the foresight to know what kinds of services we would be consuming today.

If companies do not wish to operate in the public interest while using public resources then they should be replaced with companies who are willing to do so.

And I am in no way a lefty.

You may send what ever data packets you like into the public RF spectrum. It's when it gets to AT&T's antennas and other infrastructure that they can ignore them.

FaceTime over walkie-talkie is what you're thinking of.