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AT&T Fined $100 Million by FCC for Unlimited Data Throttling Practices
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AT&T sent out notices informing customers of the class action suit regarding this very issue. I was notified via text message and again via email with my account statement. They sent multiple texts over the course of a few weeks. For each text received, I submitted a claim to be part of the class.
Three are pretty good although I’ve heard that their practices have recently changed, (I don't seem to have bee affected. Yet).
At the start they claimed not to have a fair use policy. A little while later I think they claimed that there was a monthly cap, I understand they’ll be changing again soon.
For example their T’s & C’s state;
While we have no obligation to monitor the Messaging Services or Storage Services, if you exceed our use limits set out in our fair use policy (which is published as part of our Price Guide and is available on our website or from Three Customer Services)
The price guide states;
It’s worth noting that even if you used your phone for every minute of every day you’d only use, subject to TrafficSense™, around 1,000 GB each month. That’s why we’ve set a usage cap at 1,000 GB, in order to identify commercial use of the service, for example, which is not permitted under the Terms for Three Services.
I think I’ll stay with them for the foreseeable…….
Thanks for ghe answer. now it is clear. It is like a regular classaction. We get couple bucks back
Between throttling and their ridiculous ATT Next scam I hope ATT continues to get fined until it starts to do some significant damage to the company. 100 million is pathetic. They are stealing from us and we get nothing back!
The United States Federal Communications Commission today announced plans to fine AT&T $100 million for misleading customers about its unlimited mobile data plans. Following an investigation, the FCC is accusing AT&T of severely slowing down the data speeds of customers with unlimited data plans and failing to adequately warn them about the slower data speeds.The FCC says AT&T violated the 2010 Open Internet Transparency Rule by falsely calling its plans "unlimited" and by not informing customers of the maximum speed they would receive under AT&T's Maximum Bit Rate policy. Millions of customers suffered slow data speeds, with some seeing speed reductions for 12 days per month on average.
On the decision, FCC chairman Tom Wheeler had this to say: "Customers deserve to get what they pay for. Broadband providers must be upfront and transparent about the services they provide. The FCC will not stand idly by while consumers are deceived by misleading marketing materials and insufficient disclosure."
AT&T ceased offering unlimited data plans years ago, but it continues to have customers with grandfathered unlimited data plans. AT&T previously throttled all of those customers after they exceeded 5GB of LTE data, but in May, AT&T implemented a policy change that sees customers being throttled only when connected to a cell tower experiencing network congestion.
Along with facing a $100 million fine levied by the FCC, AT&T is also involved in an ongoing lawsuit with the Federal Trade Commission over the same issue.
Article Link: AT&T Fined $100 Million by FCC for Unlimited Data Throttling Practices
I'm stilled pissed off at AT&T because I had the unlimited and 2.5 years later my credit card associated with the account expired. When I called AT&T to give them my new credit card, they told me I had lost my grandfathered status and that I had to create a new account. Complete and total BS! I hate AT&T. They do lots of fishy things.
A few months ago,they turned off my father's phone line because they said he hadn't paid the bill. When really they signed him up for paperless billing with a bogus email. They argued with my father who is 80 to the point that he had problems breathing and collapsed. My father is computer illiterate. He would have never signed up for paperless billing because he would never be able to view or pay for his bills. They switched him because they are looking for ways to save money and charge unsuspecting customers additional fees. AT&T has lost all credibility with my family.
How? That's not legally binding; and even if it had been, the FCC just ruled ATT violated their agreement with you.
Theoretically, the taxpayers get it as AT&T is supposed to cut a check to the Federal Reserve.
in reality: It will get appealed, re-appealed, delayed, and possibly dragged out in court or lobbied to death in Congress. Or they might negotiate it away in exchange for promising the availability of service in some underserved area, only to have a future administration forget about this promise and have it go completely unfulfilled and unenforced.
If AT&T ends up paying anything, whatever meager amount they end up paying will simply get absorbed in funding in a federal budget line item somewhere.
This isn't to say AT&T shouldn't be punished. They SHOULD. But the system for punishment is broken.
When does Verizon get fined? I'm an unlimited data user and it's much slower than others with the same phone in the same areas so I know they're throttling as well.
Its about time the government did something that favors the consumer instead of special interests.
I'm not sure but do they have to grandfather the plans? Couldn't they just end it after all contracts are up. I mean it would piss off people that have it but what are you going to do go to sprint or t-mobile?
Well, a user of a network could use as much data as they want, as long as there is minimal to no congestion, and the company doesn't throttle.
It says, "you may experience experience reduced dataspeeds at times and in areas that are experiencing network congestion."
It sounds like AT&T are sending text messages as a scare tactic to alter how users use their data... but depending on your area/location, you may not get throttled to unusable speeds. Since AT&T changed their throttling policy, I've gone over 42gb this billing cycle with 8 days to go. No signs of throttling in my area... and haven't seen any slow down in places I've been in San Diego.
You may want to check your speeds after you reach 5gb before getting to upset.... your location might not be congested.
100 million and they think once before doing it again. 500 million and they think a few times before doing something like this again. 1 billion, they never do something like this again.
In other news, I was charged a $10.00 "self install fee" by Comcast. I went to Best Buy, bought a modem, went to the Comcast office, had them scan the modem for my account. I went home and installed it and had internet in 2 minutes. I'm going down tomorrow to inquire, but one would think they would have *credited* me for installing it myself and not needing the Comcast van? I already had the cable line, so literally the woman flipped the bit at the Comcast office and after the 5 min drive home I had internet.
And these companies wonder why they are always at the bottom of customer satisfaction surveys.
In other news, I was charged a $10.00 "self install fee" by Comcast. I went to Best Buy, bought a modem, went to the Comcast office, had them scan the modem for my account. I went home and installed it and had internet in 2 minutes. I'm going down tomorrow to inquire, but one would think they would have *credited* me for installing it myself and not needing the Comcast van? I already had the cable line, so literally the woman flipped the bit at the Comcast office and after the 5 min drive home I had internet.
And these companies wonder why they are always at the bottom of customer satisfaction surveys.
Way to go, FCC. Only took you over 4 years to "not stand idly by while consumers are deceived". I finally gave up my unlimited. It's like watching someone being robbed daily, but not doing anything about it for 4 years.
Tmonews.com published rumors that t-mo stops 100 dollars all unlimited 2 lines plan soon 27th June. I'm going to connect the plan and keep it for a while. I have 5-6 inter. trips next couple months, so the plan pays me back I don't use Att the most expensive roaming.
I think a bit early to switch for me. Att still better.
Same reason banks charge you to use an ATM, when you know it costs them ZERO compared to going into the bank and using a teller.
Looks like AT&T is sticking to the 3GB policy. Attached is the first time I have ever received this text from them, ironic it was today.
Attachments
Well, at least we got some action. Net neutrality and now this. I have one of the grandfathered plans, but oddly, I don't notice any throttling where I am. On the night Game of Thrones began, and my free HBO SUB WAS NEW, I was working late. I drove home and tested the streaming as I drove the ten miles, and it was flawless. Ps, I don't watch, I could tell from the audio it was flawless. You know, what I'd prefer is that the FCC require these guys to increase bandwidth by installing the Artemis system that goes form a few hundred people being able to slow down a tower to maybe 20,000 by having the phone receive multiple signals from multiple towers and synthesize a "pCell" for each phone. Putting up hundreds of cheap transmitter boxes around a city takes the number fully serviced in any area from say 500 to 20,000-- and that would be all streaming movies and walking around the street. That would destroy their "bandwidth model" completely, making all plans "unlimited." Seriously, go to YouTube and search for "Artemis."