If you live in rural America, the odds are you do quite a bit of roaming on your cellphone. Even if your home or business is in an area covered by a major national carrier, you likely have to regularly travel to, from, and through places where other providers pick up the slack. This means that rural customers who use their smartphones frequently can cost their carrier as they use gigabytes of data on other company’s networks. This cost has apparently become too much for Verizon, which is once again cutting off a block of rural customers, giving them only a few weeks’ notice to take their business elsewhere. [More]
unlimited data plans
Verizon Changing Up Unlimited Data Plans Again, Begins Throttling Video For All Users
By 8.22.17
Verizon hopped (back) on the unlimited data train in February, joining all of its national competition in doing so. But six months later, as the dust has settled, those plans are getting some tweaks — and every Verizon Wireless customer is getting their video throttled as a result. [More]
Appeals Court Resurrects Federal Government’s Lawsuit Over AT&T’s Old “Unlimited” Plans
By 5.10.17
The years-long dispute between the Federal Trade Commission and AT&T over the wireless company’s old “unlimited” data plans is still not dead. A federal appeals court has zapped new life into the lawsuit, meaning there’s still hope that AT&T users who saw their data throttled despite having unlimited data plans may someday get justice. [More]
AT&T Tweaks Unlimited Data Plan To Better Compete With Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile
By 2.27.17
It’s been two weeks since Verizon’s surprise announcement that it was bringing back unlimited mobile data plans kicked off a huge flurry of activity, with all four national carriers introducing or improving their own offerings. But a point-by-point comparison of all four left many folks wondering: Is AT&T even trying? AT&T apparently wondered that too, and so is tweaking their plan once more. [More]
T-Mobile Will Pay $48M To Close FCC Investigation Into Limits On “Unlimited” Data Plans
By 10.19.16 — Updated: 10.31.16
If you’re going to market “unlimited” wireless data plans, you’d better adequately disclose that, as the name might imply, you’re not selling unfettered access to all the data you could possibly use in a month. Otherwise, you could end up on the hook for millions of dollars in penalties and discounts. [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 Brings Back Unlimited Plans. What’s The Catch?
By 1.11.16
Years after ditching the unlimited data plans that it used to convince so many consumers to switch from boring old feature phones to the iPhone (and other smartphones), AT&T has announced it is bringing back its “unlimited” offering starting at $100 a month. Oh, but it’s only for DirecTV and U-Verse customers. [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]
T-Mobile CEO Tries To Explain $15/Month Price Hike For Unlimited Plan
By 11.12.15
While T-Mobile’s event-friendly news from Tuesday’s press conference was that the company was exempting a number of streaming video services from data caps, what wasn’t so loudly announced was T-Mo’s price hike for its unlimited data plan — from $80/month to $95/month for new customers. [More]
Sprint Changes Its Mind, Will Start Throttling Speeds For Its Greediest Unlimited Data Customers
By 10.16.15
Is an unlimited data plan still unlimited if there’s a threshold marking the point at which your network speeds will be slowed down? Sprint seems to think so: after telling customers in June that it would no longer throttle speeds for customers on its unlimited plan using an excessive amount of data, today Sprint has changed its tune, and says it’ll slow down customers when they reach a 23GB monthly threshold. [More]
AT&T Tells Unlimited Data Customer Who Isn’t Tethering To Quit Tethering
By 10.9.15
Tethering is using your smartphone as a mobile wi-fi hotspot. It’s a handy way to get online when you’re, say, stuck at the dentist’s office and need to turn in some work. It’s also against the rules for customers with legacy unlimited-data plans from AT&T, for obvious reasons. One customer who has one of these plans is currently fighting with AT&T: they want him to stop tethering, and he says that he isn’t. [More]
AT&T Unlimited Data Plan Now Tops Out At 22GB/Month Before Throttling
By 9.16.15
AT&T, which is currently fighting the Federal Communications Commission over a possible $100 million penalty for its practice of throttling data speeds for customers with so-called “unlimited” data plans if they used up more than 5 gigabytes of LTE data in a month, has decided to increase that monthly usage threshold all the way up to 22GB. [More]
Verizon Stops Throttling Data For Unlimited Wireless Data Plans, Doesn’t Tell Anyone
By 8.14.15
For four years, Verizon has been throttling 3G data speeds for its few remaining “unlimited” data plan holders who dared try to take advantage of having access to supposedly unlimited data on their wireless devices. But earlier this summer, the nation’s largest wireless carrier quietly put an end to this supposed “network management,” but only because it has done such a good job of driving customers away from their unlimited plans. [More]
AT&T Faces $100M Fine Over “Unlimited” Data Plans
By 6.17.15
Last year, the Federal Trade Commission sued AT&T over its alleged failure to disclose to subscribers of “unlimited” data plans that their data might actually be throttled. The future of that case is in limbo right now, but today the Federal Communications Commission announced its intention to fine AT&T $100 million over its unlimited data plans. [More]
AT&T Fails At Getting FTC’s Throttling Lawsuit Dismissed
By 4.1.15
Back in October, the Federal Trade Commission sued AT&T’s wireless division for allegedly misleading customers by charging for “unlimited” plans but then reducing data speeds after users passed certain monthly thresholds. AT&T subsequently asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that the FTC lacks the authority to bring this type of lawsuit. Yesterday, a federal judge disagreed and sided against AT&T. [More]
AT&T Says It Can’t Be Sued By FTC Over Throttling Of Unlimited Data Plans
By 1.9.15
Last October, the Federal Trade Commission sued AT&T, alleging that the wireless company failed to adequately disclose to its “unlimited” data customers that it could throttle their network speeds and that this throttling could slow their data speeds by upwards of 90%. In a recent court filing, AT&T claims that the FTC doesn’t have the jurisdiction to bring this lawsuit in the first place. [More]
AT&T Sued By Feds For Throttling “Unlimited” Wireless Customers
By 10.28.14
A few years back, AT&T ticked off a lot of wireless customers with so-called “unlimited” plans by announcing that it would throttle data speeds for users who passed certain monthly thresholds. Though customers tried to sue in response, AT&T’s terms of service generally prevent class action suits from customers and force users into private, binding arbitration. But even though millions of customers can’t sue, the federal government can. [More]
AT&T Calls Throttling Lawsuit “Baseless… Baffling”
Earlier today, the Federal Trade Commission sued AT&T over the throttling of wireless subscribers with unlimited plans. Not surprisingly, the Death Star isn’t exactly pleased with the lawsuit. [More]