The unlimited data plan wars are heating up. Days after Verizon’s surprise announcement that it was bringing back unlimited data options and T-Mobile’s decision to boost its own plans, AT&T has launched a new — you guessed it! — unlimited data plan. [More]
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DirecTV Asks Court To Throw Out Justice Dept. Lawsuit Over SportsNet LA
By 2.13.17
It’s hard to be a baseball fan in Los Angeles. For what feels like ages, the LA Dodgers have had an exclusive deal with Time Warner Cable — now Charter — to air their games in the area. Other carriers reportedly have tried to get access to the games but were stymied, eventually leading to a complicated court case where the Justice Department sued DirecTV over allegations of colluding unlawfully with other carriers in negotiations with SportsNet LA. Now, DirecTV is fighting back. [More]
AT&T CEO: Merger With Time Warner Still On Track To Close By End Of Year
By 2.10.17
Mergers are never a sure thing, but the recent political atmosphere has been, let’s say, even less predictable than usual. Even so, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson remains optimistic that his Death Star will be able to acquire Time Warner and all its juicy media properties before the end of the year… and that the FCC won’t be involved in approving the deal. [More]
Senators Call On AT&T And Time Warner To Explain How Merger Will Benefit Americans
By 1.25.17
During the campaign, then-candidate Donald Trump talked openly about putting a halt to the pending merger of AT&T and Time Warner, he has since appointed an FCC Chairman who has historically been pro-merger. That’s why a handful of Senators have called on the two companies to explain how this consolidation will be in the public interest. [More]
It’ll Now Cost You $5 More To Activate Or Upgrade A Phone On AT&T’s Network
By 1.20.17
If you don’t have a contract with AT&T prepare to pay $5 more than you would have in the past to upgrade your phone, or activate a new one on the carrier’s network. [More]
If You Have An Original iPhone, It Won’t Work On AT&T Anymore
By 1.19.17
It’s unlikely that anyone other than the most stubborn users are still using the original iPhone or feature phones from the era of 2G networks, but AT&T has announced that it has finally cut these users off. [More]
FCC Pointlessly Concludes AT&T’s Free Data For ‘DirecTV Now’ Probably Violates Net Neutrality
By 1.11.17 — Updated: 1.12.17
The controversial Open Internet Order of 2015 (known on the street as “Net Neutrality”) is probably going to be rolled back or ignored under the incoming Trump administration, but with a few days left under the existing FCC leadership, the agency has decided to chime in with its conclusion that AT&T’s decision to not ding its wireless subscribers for accessing DirecTV Now streaming video probably runs afoul of regulations and may ultimately harm competition and consumers. [More]
AT&T Thinks It Might Be Able To Avoid FCC Review Of Time Warner Merger
By 1.6.17
A merger of the nation’s largest pay-TV provider (and second-largest wireless service provider) and a major multimedia conglomerate with multiple cable channels might seem like a gimme for review by the Federal Communications Commission, but AT&T now thinks it may be able to avoid or minimize scrutiny from the agency in its efforts to acquire Time Warner. [More]
AT&T To Start Using DirecTV Now To Test 5G Tech
By 1.4.17
The future is wireless. At least, so all the wireless companies say. Sure, running actual cables to houses and apartment buildings brought broadband this far, but the always-on, always-streaming future is just going to get more and more mobile. And so the current era of 4G LTE wireless connections will eventually give way to 5G, which promises to be faster, better, and stronger in every way. But before you can use 5G tech, first you have to make it, you know, work. [More]
AT&T Scrapping $35 DirecTV Now Pricing In January; Bumping Bundle To $60
By 12.30.16
Well, that really didn’t last long. The promising $35-per-month price for AT&T’s DirecTV Now streaming bundle was always billed as “promotional” and time-limited, but that time appears to be short. Super-short. As in: ending on Jan. 9, in just over a week. [More]
AT&T Launching New Tool To Let Some Wireless Customers Block Robocalls Some Of The Time
By 12.20.16
Spam robocalls suck and everyone hates them. They are a digitally-generated scourge on modern society, a small yet omnipresent annoyance met with universal derision. So AT&T’s wireless customers will likely be happy to see their carrier taking steps today to let customers block the unwanted calls — but there are a couple of big catches. [More]
T-Mobile Tries To Get Under AT&T’s Skin By Offering 12 Months Of DirecTV Now For Free
By 12.15.16
AT&T wireless customers can stream the company’s new DirecTV Now service without having the data go against their monthly limit. The company hopes it will give existing subscribers a reason to stick with AT&T and convince some others to switch providers to AT&T. However, T-Mobile is hoping to use DirecTV Now against AT&T, by offering to pay for a full year of the streaming service for AT&T defectors. [More]
$88M In Refunds From AT&T Settlement With FTC Now Heading To Consumers
By 12.8.16
A few million current and former AT&T wireless customers can look forward to a bit of a well-timed holiday surprise this year: money! AT&T promised to refund customers at least $80 million as part of a settlement it reached with the FTC over unlawful wireless bill charges, and the Commission announced those checks started going into the mail today. [More]
AT&T CEO: Letting Us Buy Time Warner Will “Disrupt” TV, Be “Good For Consumers”
By 12.7.16
When AT&T announced in October that it would spend $85 billion to acquire Time Warner, the plan was met with strong headwinds right out of the gate. A surprisingly broad array of lawmakers, from both sides of the political aisle, immediately voiced concerns. Among the concerned parties? The Senate Judiciary Committee, which today held a hearing examining the impact on competition, and potential antitrust concerns, the merger could raise. [More]
FCC Warns AT&T, Verizon That Sponsored Data Programs May Harm Consumers
By 12.2.16
While last year’s Open Internet Order — better known as the “net neutrality” rules — stops broadband providers from blocking, speeding up, or slowing down data to or from sources of their choosing, that rule doesn’t explicitly deal with the practice of “zero-rating,” where a broadband provider doesn’t count certain content against the user’s monthly data limit. After recently raising “serious concerns” about this practice, the FCC is now warning AT&T and Verizon that some of their zero-rating programs appear to harm consumers by providing these companies with unfair advantages in streaming video. [More]
AT&T Confirms Live Access To NBC Is Still Mobile-Only On ‘DirecTV Now’
By 11.30.16
Earlier this week at the official launch event for the DirecTV Now live-TV streaming service, I and others noticed that while the live feed for the local NBC affiliate was showing up on the DirecTV Now mobile app, the channel was absent from the lineup of stations available for viewing on your actual TV. AT&T staff that we spoke to at the event insisted that this would not be the case when the service launched, but DirecTV Now is now live — and NBC is still not working on users’ TV sets. [More]
6 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Deciding Whether To Try ‘DirecTV Now’
By 11.29.16
Last night, AT&T finally pulled back the veil on its long-awaited DirecTV Now streaming service, which will launch tomorrow starting at $35/month. But before you take a sledgehammer to your cable box or refashion the satellite dish into a sled and/or serving bowl, there are some important things to consider. [More]
‘DirecTV Now’ Streaming Service Will Launch Nov. 30; Starting At $35 For 60 Channels
By 11.28.16 — Updated: 11.29.16
After months of teasing the eventual launch of DirecTV Now — a live-TV streaming service that doesn’t require a subscription to cable — AT&T has finally announced the important details of the product that will kick off on Nov. 30 at a price ranging from $35 for around 60 channels to $70 for more than 120 channels. [More]
