Five months after announcing that customers on its Unlimited Plus plan would get complimentary HBO access, AT&T says members of its cheaper Unlimited Choice wireless option will also be able to stream as much Game of Thrones as they want for free. [More]
dispatches from the death star
AT&T Now Throwing In HBO For Free To ‘Unlimited Plus’ Subscribers
By 4.5.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
The battle for unlimited data customers continues to heat up. Only weeks after dropping its price on “Unlimited Plus” plans, AT&T is now giving these subscribers free HBO, even if they don’t have an AT&T or DirecTV pay-TV plan. [More]
AT&T Confirms $85 Billion Acquisition Of Time Warner Inc.
By 10.22.16 — Updated: 10.31.16
After two days of “people close to situation” leaking information about a possible merger between AT&T and Time Warner Inc., the two companies have confirmed the deal which is valued at around $85 billion. [More]
Court Throws Out Federal Government’s Lawsuit Over AT&T “Unlimited” Data Plans
By 8.30.16
Nearly two years ago, the Federal Trade Commission sued AT&T for allegedly misleading wireless customers by charging them for “unlimited” data plans while simultaneously throttling their cellular connection speeds when they passed certain monthly thresholds. AT&T failed in 2015 to get the case dismissed in District Court, but yesterday succeeded in convincing a federal appeals court to throw out the government’s complaint. [More]
AT&T Penalized $7.75 Million For Allowing Scammers To Charge Bogus “Directory Assistance Service” Fees
By 8.8.16
Nearly two years after AT&T was hit with a $105 million settlement over bill-cramming — the practice of letting third parties place questionable or false charges on customers’ phone bills — the Federal Communications Commission says the company has agreed to pay another $7.5 million to close the book on additional cramming accusations involving a bogus directory assistance service. [More]
AT&T Tweaks Uverse Data Caps (Again), Will Still Charge You $30 For Unlimited Data
By 7.29.16
If it seems like this is the season when every ISP out there is messing with its data caps, well, that’s because it is. Up today: AT&T, with its second shift in data cap policy in the last six months. [More]
AT&T CEO Says He Will Head Up Anti-Robocall “Strike Force”
By 7.25.16
In response to FCC Chair Tom Wheeler’s call for all major phone companies to finally put free robocall-blocking tools in the hands of their customers, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson — who recently incorrectly blamed the FCC for his company’s failure to address this issue — says he is going to lead an industry “Strike Force” to combat robocalls. [More]
AT&T Now Testing Drones As Flying LTE Antennae
By 7.13.16 — Updated: 10.6.16
When wireless companies prepare to handle huge events — like the upcoming political conventions and the recent papal visit to Philadelphia — they roll out mobile cell towers and sometimes make permanent infrastructure upgrades to deal with the increased data use. Now AT&T is testing out whether it can use aerial drones to bolster LTE service in these situations. [More]
AT&T CEO Says He Can’t Deploy Robocall Blockers Without FCC Approval. He’s Wrong
By 6.1.16
On his personal phone line, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson blocks unwanted, pre-recorded and auto-dialed robocalls. So why is Darth Randy not making this technology available for all of his customers? He claims it’s because he needs the FCC’s permission to do so, but the FCC says that just isn’t so. [More]
AT&T Copies Comcast, Lets U-Verse Customers Pay $30 To Avoid Data Caps
By 3.30.16
We don’t know why anyone would want to be like Comcast, but AT&T sure seems to be doing its best to dress itself up just like the chaps from Kabletown. They both hate community broadband and will lobby to shut it down when it competes with their services, and they both only offer competitive pricing when Google Fiber is in the mix. Now AT&T is following Comcast’s lead on data caps, by generously offering to let customers pay more to avoid running into those monthly limits. [More]
No Satellite Needed: DirecTV To Offer Online-Only Pay-TV Service
By 3.1.16
More than a year after competitor Dish launched its Sling TV live streaming service, DirecTV is following suit with the announcement of a new product called DirecTV Now. [More]
AT&T Sues Louisville To Make City Less Attractive To Google Fiber
By 2.26.16
Google hasn’t even decided whether or not it will bring its high-speed Fiber broadband and TV service to Louisville. The Kentucky city is currently listed as merely a “potential” Fiber market. But that hasn’t stopped AT&T from suing Louisville administrators in an effort to make sure that Google will have a tougher time if it chooses to launch there. [More]
AT&T Will Test 5G Service In Texas This Year; Could Be Up To 100 Times Faster Than LTE
By 2.12.16
For most people, the term “5G” is still some ineffable promise of lightning-fast wireless data that will — like the cable arrive sometime between two and five… years from now. AT&T is hoping to get a better idea of exactly what this next generation of wireless connectivity will be when it starts testing in Texas later this year. [More]
AT&T Exec Claims Net Neutrality Delayed “A Bunch Of Stuff”
By 12.3.15
Tomorrow, the FCC will square off in court against the telecom industry over the recently enacted Open Internet order (aka “net neutrality), which allows the government to regulate broadband in a way similar to its oversight of telephone lines. AT&T, which has sued the government over the neutrality rules, is now making vague claims that the FCC’s actions caused it to hold off on releasing a “bunch of stuff.” [More]
AT&T To Begin Slow Process Of Killing Off DirecTV, U-Verse Names
By 12.2.15
With AT&T now owning DirecTV and still operating its U-Verse network, the company has two separate pay-TV brands. But that won’t last forever, with AT&T telling employees that both brands will eventually be phased out in favor of a new, unified name covering both satellite and cable TV service. [More]
AT&T’s Remaining Unlimited Data Customers Getting $5/Month Rate Hike In 2016
By 11.30.15
It’s been years since AT&T stopped offering new unlimited data plans, but a number of customers have held onto their grandfathered plans for years — even as the company throttled their access for actually trying to use the “unlimited” data that was promised. Come February, AT&T will raise the price on unlimited plans for the first time in years. [More]
AT&T Employee Says Company Turns “Blind Eye” To Lying Customer Service Reps
By 9.15.15
AT&T is the second-largest wireless carriers, one the country’s biggest landline providers, and now owns the most popular satellite TV service with more than 20 million subscribers. That’s a lot of opportunities for customer service staffers at the company to mislead callers, and one AT&T employee says it happens — a lot — and that AT&T knows it. [More]
AT&T Revises Data Plans: Lower Prices But Fewer Options
By 8.14.15
Why is the wireless industry so antsy? Not so long ago, it was all about giving customers a vast array of options so they could very precisely buy just the amount of data they want. Now, following Verizon’s recent simplification of its plans, AT&T is culling a number of its data tiers, which could result in savings — if you make sure to do some math before switching. [More]
