AT&T to cut off bandwidth for some ‘unlimited’ data subscribers

[Playinghardball]

Source: Raw Story
By Stephen C. Webster

Beginning tomorrow, telecom giant AT&T will start "throttling," or slowing down, the bandwidth of some of its most loyal "unlimited" mobile data subscribers, which the network blames for their service's overall poor performance.

The company announced its intent back in July, and accused their most frequent users of degrading service for other subscribers. AT&T called these subscribers the "top 5 percent" of data users, insisting that their new policies will not affect "the vast majority" of users.

Although AT&T has not offered their "unlimited" data plan to new customers for some time, many smartphone users still have contracts from 2009 or before, which stipulate that their "unlimited" subscription continue.

Other mobile phone providers moving to "throttle" their top users' bandwidth include T-Mobile, Verizon and Virgin Mobile.

More at: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/09/30/att-to-cut-off-bandwidth-for-some-unlimited-data-subscribers/

[Glassunion]

1. It's about time the top 5% got screwed...

Oh wait...

[FSogol]

2. Unlimited = very limited.

:shrug:

[DJ13]

3. Unlimited refers only to the amount they think they can charge

[still_one]

4. This is the reason their network was bad? Does it explain the dropped call rate also? /nt

[NYC Liberal]

5. I wonder how AT&T would feel about customers "throttling" monthly payments.

Maybe they shouldn't have offered unlimited data if they couldn't support it.

[saras]

6. In a sane country, that would be law.

If they provide half the service they contracted, they get half the money you contracted. Seems fair.

[NYC Liberal]

7. It should also be law that if a company advertises one thing in large text

and puts a contradictory clause in the small fine print of the contract, the large text rules. I suppose that would be similar to false advertising.

But companies say one thing in ads and then after you miss the one contradictory sentence in 15 pages of small-font legalize, people say "Well you signed the contract!" Ridiculous.

[dkf]

8. Is that grounds for breaking the contract?

[JoeyT]

9. It's quite simple:

The shitty service given by our shitty networks to our shitty phones based on our shitty plans is in no way our fault, but instead the fault of our customers, who we will punish appropriately. It's not like they can go to anyone else. They signed a contract. Just because we refuse to honor it doesn't make it go away.

[Initech]

10. Considering I use my phone for data more than calling, I'd be fucked.

I'll gladly pay the cancellation fee and switch to Sprint if that's the case.

[Safetykitten]

11. I have a grandfathered unlimited verizon card, I hope they don't do it also.

I am using 15g every month.