So how do you justify to your self stealing?

[Amino Man]

I agree that unlimited users should have to pay to tether for the reason you stated (but not $20.) But If you have the 2 GB data plan, you still have to pay AT&T for the privilege of tethering. You are using the exact same bandwidth, just in a different place. You shouldn't have to give them money to use bandwidth that you've already paid for.

Not true. Full computers chew through more data than a phone. When you stream a youtube video on the computer, you can choose high def (as high as the computer will handle), but it would be over a 3G connection. Therefore, you're loading a lot more data than the iPhone would with youtube.

Computers use more bandwidth than phones. You should have to pay for that extra bandwidth use. Also, computers can load pages faster and have longer battery life... therefore, you'd be hitting up a lot more webpages for perhaps an even longer time than you would on a phone.

The way I browse the internet on a full computer is nothing like the way I do it on my iPhone.

 

[NT1440]

AT*T prices their services based on average utilization. People who use tethering use more bandwidth on average. That is why there is a seperate fee to get tethering. If they did lump it all in together, than 250 megs of data would be $30 a month and 2 gigs of data would be $45 a month. AT*T is allowed to determine the parameters of the service they are offering. You are not buying 2 gigs of data to do what you please. You are buying two gigs of data to use on your phone for things that do NOT include tethering. Nowhere in the TOS does AT*T say you can whatever you want whenever you want.

Great, use more data AND PAY FOR IT LIKE YOU WOULD ANYWAY.

 

[Corndog5595]

Although I agree that you should pay for tethering (pay AT&T for their plan), I don’t think people ‘stealing’ bandwidth is the worst of our problems here.

How about all the reasons game pirates come up with as to why it’s okay for over 90% of all players in Crysis multiplayer to be playing with pirated copies.

“I wouldn’t have ever bought the game anyway”
“They have plenty of money...”
the list goes on and on.

Sure, it could be considered illegal to use MyWi when you aren’t paying for tethering on your iPhone, or use PDANet when you aren’t paying for tethering through Verizon, but is it such a big deal? There are worse things that people justify stealing than a few gigs of data. I’m not saying it’s right, but it isn’t horribly wrong.

 

[GoCubsGo]

Its naive to think that people jailbreaking to use tethering rather than pay for it has no effect on the way ATT does business or figure out their rates.

I didn't jailbreak to get tethering. You should stop spewing incorrect statements.

 

[kas23]

I don't understand this thread. Is it really going to change anybody's view/opinion? It was an inflammatory post to begin with and after 10 pages of the same old crap, it's still inflammatory. The OP is just bitter he has to pay while other people don't. Well, I got news, that's his choice. End of story.

And how do people who tether for free justify themselves? Guess what, they don't have to. It's them who have to deal with their own conscience. Not anyone elses.

 

[Amino Man]

Great, use more data AND PAY FOR IT LIKE YOU WOULD ANYWAY.

AT&T doesn't want their network any more clogged by everyone being able to tether. More bandwidth for you, means less bandwidth for me. Understand?

I go into a pizza shop and see that their large cheese pizza is $10 (hypothetically). Then I ask them to put pepperonis on it. Suddenly it's a different price... why is that? You're still eating the same 8 slices of pizza, you just more features on it for the same price as plain cheese.

2GB = $25
You want to tether? $45 please. You have a few options if you don't want to pay this price: 1. Don't tether and pay $25. 2. Buy the plan and tether. 3. Find a new phone carrier that has it for cheaper.

Just because you don't agree with the rules, doesn't make it okay to steal what you're not paying for (whether or not you THINK you're paying for it).

 

[mkrishnan]

I don't understand this thread. Is it really going to change anybody's view/opinion? It was an inflammatory post to begin with and after 10 pages of the same old crap, it's still inflammatory. The OP is just bitter he has to pay while other people don't. Well, I got news, that's his choice. End of story.

And how do people who tether for free justify themselves? Guess what, they don't have to. It's them who have to deal with their own conscience. Not anyone elses.

^^ Given that this thread was started calling unlocking a phone to use it away from AT&T "stealing" after the US government ruled this behavior legal, this is just going around in circles and circles. Six pages of spiral is enough.