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FTC Sues AT&T Over 'Misleading' Unlimited Data Throttling Practices [Updated]
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I upgraded to an iPhone 6 Plus in September on AT&T with a grandfathered unlimited plan. But last year I bought a cellular iPad Mini on Verizon because AT&T requires the iPad be on a Mobile Share plan or a 5GB/month data plan to use hotspot tethering while Verizon allows hotspot tethering at any data plan level. AT&Ts lowest plan which doesn't include hotspot is ridiculous and Verizon has better coverage.
I should have probably switched to Verizon when I upgraded to finally rid myself of the AT&T rule.
I should have probably switched to Verizon when I upgraded to finally rid myself of the AT&T rule.
So, when people signed their contracts in 2007, it mentioned being severely throttled? Alright...
So like others my first reaction is that of COURSE unlimited means unlimited and that they shouldn't throttle after a certain amount. I have Verizon unlimited and enjoy that's it's truly unlimited and I can use it as a hotspot too. AT&T's perspective is generally that they are giving you an unlimited amount of data but controlling how fast you can actually use it.
Let me ask a similar question.
If I go into a restaurant that heavily advertises unlimited breadsticks, can I reasonably expect UNLIMITED breadsticks? Or is it reasonable for the restaurant to say sure, it's unlimited, but we'll only bring out 1 per person at the table at a time?
I think we'd mostly agree that the latter is acceptable and that a request for 1000 breadsticks would be declined. Is that really any different than what the carriers face, where 95% of customers use 2GB or less and probably 5% are far more than the other 95% combined?
Certainly bandwidth is less of a tangible quantity than a breadstick -- it's harder to argue that I am being wasteful by using 100GB. But, let's not act like bandwidth is an unlimited resource, either. It does cost money to expand capacity and if the bulk of that is being forced by a few users sucking down enormous amounts of data then they are indeed a very real cost to the carriers and to all of us.
Dunno what the right answer is, but I do think it's far more complex than the FTC's argument that unlimited means unlimited.
Let me ask a similar question.
If I go into a restaurant that heavily advertises unlimited breadsticks, can I reasonably expect UNLIMITED breadsticks? Or is it reasonable for the restaurant to say sure, it's unlimited, but we'll only bring out 1 per person at the table at a time?
I think we'd mostly agree that the latter is acceptable and that a request for 1000 breadsticks would be declined. Is that really any different than what the carriers face, where 95% of customers use 2GB or less and probably 5% are far more than the other 95% combined?
Certainly bandwidth is less of a tangible quantity than a breadstick -- it's harder to argue that I am being wasteful by using 100GB. But, let's not act like bandwidth is an unlimited resource, either. It does cost money to expand capacity and if the bulk of that is being forced by a few users sucking down enormous amounts of data then they are indeed a very real cost to the carriers and to all of us.
Dunno what the right answer is, but I do think it's far more complex than the FTC's argument that unlimited means unlimited.
AT&T Always Rips Off Their Customers
About time these A Ho's get a piece of their own medicine for ripping off customers who've stayed valued customers for years to come. I remember when I was a "grandfather" account user through AT&T and they told me after buying a new iPhone, i would not qualify for my Grandfather account anymore if I buy a new phone. :roll eyes:
Jerks!
About time these A Ho's get a piece of their own medicine for ripping off customers who've stayed valued customers for years to come. I remember when I was a "grandfather" account user through AT&T and they told me after buying a new iPhone, i would not qualify for my Grandfather account anymore if I buy a new phone. :roll eyes:
Jerks!
I still have my "unlimited" plan - but have been considering signing up for the 30GB plan since it's so much cheaper....and more USABLE data than the "unlimited" plan. I got a text message from at&t last month when I hit 2GB of data saying they were throttling me....2 GB!
My question for all of you: should I wait to change my plan? I mean what are the implications of this suit for users like me? Will the throttling possibly be going away? Or is it going to turn into a 3-4 year case....bc frankly even if the DO have to remove the throttling I don't know if it's worth it to wait 3-4 years....or even 1 year for that matter. 30GB is a fair amount of data.
My question for all of you: should I wait to change my plan? I mean what are the implications of this suit for users like me? Will the throttling possibly be going away? Or is it going to turn into a 3-4 year case....bc frankly even if the DO have to remove the throttling I don't know if it's worth it to wait 3-4 years....or even 1 year for that matter. 30GB is a fair amount of data.
Just got locked into a 2 year contract...so if they stopped offering unlimited, that would void my new contract. In addition the fact that my family has kept unlimited has been a no brainer for re-contracting with At&t.
If the Unlimited goes away a lot of people would re-evaluate their cellular service. It doesn't necessarily mean they will switch- but now there is an actually reason to look at and consider T-Mobile's or Sprint's unlimited data.
They were throttling me so badly I couldn't even get email reliably after a mere 2GB. Their answer? Too bad, so sad. Filed official complaints with the FCC, the California PUC, and the FTC, their answer: nothing we can do (this was two years ago).
Well, there was something I could do: sign up with T-Mobile. I'm paying half what I was paying AT&T, and I'm getting truly unlimited data -- and tons of benefits like free international texts (outgoing as well as international text roaming), incredibly cheap international roaming ($0.20/minute), free unlimited (slow) international roaming data. I would never, ever, EVER go back to AT&T. EVER.
Well, there was something I could do: sign up with T-Mobile. I'm paying half what I was paying AT&T, and I'm getting truly unlimited data -- and tons of benefits like free international texts (outgoing as well as international text roaming), incredibly cheap international roaming ($0.20/minute), free unlimited (slow) international roaming data. I would never, ever, EVER go back to AT&T. EVER.
I think we need Class Action Lawsuit status and they need to remove this throttling 100%! You can't tell me that these long time loyal customers are killing the network even with heavy usage!
Finally they throttled the wrong person!
Finally they throttled the wrong person!
So, when people signed their contracts in 2007, it mentioned being severely throttled? Alright...
Fair-Use-Policies and their associated concepts of traffic shaping and prioritization have been a thing for decades. I know they were in my first GPRS contracts back in the early 2000's on my cellular Nokia/Palm devices.
Also, unlike wires running down the street, there is no good way to simply add "more" RF capacity for cellular services, so at the end of the day there isn't (or at least shouldn't be) any push back to the general concept of traffic shaping and prioritization techniques.
Whether they are adequately explained to the client and how that may or may not mesh with their advertisement of "unlimited" is the underlying question here.
Karl P
To switch back, or not to switch back
I got roped into switching to the 30GB family share plan (with 3 people) a month ago. I got throttled and pissed off and since the double data promotion looked so good, I switched plans. But first they made a note to let me switch back to my unlimited plan if I decide I don't want the share plan by the end of the promotion.
Does this signal enough of a change that I should switch back while I still can? Tethering is preettttty nice, but unlimited is way more than 30...
I got roped into switching to the 30GB family share plan (with 3 people) a month ago. I got throttled and pissed off and since the double data promotion looked so good, I switched plans. But first they made a note to let me switch back to my unlimited plan if I decide I don't want the share plan by the end of the promotion.
Does this signal enough of a change that I should switch back while I still can? Tethering is preettttty nice, but unlimited is way more than 30...
My guess is that they will reach some settlement in which AT&T, like Verizon, agrees not to throttle (or at least raises the threshold above some of their tiered plans). I doubt they will change their tethering policy. VZW charges $30 extra to add tethering to a UDP. They might also make UDP holders decide between the existing voice rates, and the discounted rates ($25 less) available through AT&T Next.
That's the most common answer I get when I ask people why they stay with AT&T: "I'm grandfathered into an unlimited contract."
When I point out that the throttling is such that they will have unusable data if they go past the relatively low limit, they say that they never go over, but they keep the unlimited "just in case."
The only problem is that should they ever need it, they won't get it. And meanwhile they're paying way too much for a lousy limited plan. I don't understand people.
Despite their claims, the throttling does little to help keep the network functional. When a sector is congested, they should throttle everyone. Instead they throttle a small group of people regardless of whether or not there's any congestion. That won't do jack to help their overall network problem
So it's not really a fair use situation
I've been on the unlimited plan for almost 7 years and I have seen my data throttled many times. Every time my wife and I go in to upgrade our phones, the first "suggestion" made is to get rid of the unlimited data plan and save $5.00 a month and my stock answer is - leave it alone and don't change anything!
What I do not understand is why I should "have" to pay for a tethering option - I'm already paying for an unlimited plan - why should I have to pay more to use that plan?
I only hope the FTC broadens the case to include this "hidden" charge that AT&T wants to collect.
What I do not understand is why I should "have" to pay for a tethering option - I'm already paying for an unlimited plan - why should I have to pay more to use that plan?
I only hope the FTC broadens the case to include this "hidden" charge that AT&T wants to collect.
Mad Mac Maniac
macrumors 601
I would like either unlimited unthrottled data or the option to freely tether (since data is being restricted anyway)
Of course the dream would be to get true unlimited (unthrottled) data along with the option to tether but I'm not naive enough to think that will ever happen.
Of course the dream would be to get true unlimited (unthrottled) data along with the option to tether but I'm not naive enough to think that will ever happen.
I was forced to switch plans because of this. I travel on tour for a living. I reached my "unlimited limit" and started getting throttled to the point where my phone was unusable. I was getting 0.1mbps data speeds. It was barely strong enough to send an email properly. Because of this I had to change my plan to their family share plan and share data amongst my family. Now this plan doesn't allow me to purchase a subsidized phone without adding a 25$ extra fee a month to my plan. I ended up having to purchase the new iPhone 6+ at full cost with their 12 month payment plan. It would have cost more in the long run for their subsidized price.
AT&T has never cut off people from downloading data. Data keeps coming to the phone just at a lower speed.
And I still don't get how people can use such much data in a 30 day period. Are they streaming Netflix for like 6 hours a day to their phone?
(Please don't bash me)
And I still don't get how people can use such much data in a 30 day period. Are they streaming Netflix for like 6 hours a day to their phone?
(Please don't bash me)
Good.
Just got throttled for the first time a couple days ago.
So you're telling me that going from 30-40mbps on LTE to .3-.5mbps is somehow justified, AT&T?
I would have no problem being throttled if it were a reasonable difference, but it seems that AT&T says "You go over a certain amount and we take your internet away, because we screwed up offering unlimited data in the first place and didn't realize the money we could make with tiered plans. So there!"
Just got throttled for the first time a couple days ago.
So you're telling me that going from 30-40mbps on LTE to .3-.5mbps is somehow justified, AT&T?
I would have no problem being throttled if it were a reasonable difference, but it seems that AT&T says "You go over a certain amount and we take your internet away, because we screwed up offering unlimited data in the first place and didn't realize the money we could make with tiered plans. So there!"
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