AT&T Shares Data Throttling Policy for Unlimited Data Plan Users

AT AND T THROTTLE.JPG

AT&T POSTED A DATA THROTTLING POLICY FOR UNLIMITED DATA PLAN USERS.

HERE'S WHAT THEY SHARED ON THEIR SITE:

Do you have an unlimited data plan? If so, we have information to help you manage your account if you use more than 3GB, which means you are in the top 5% of data users in our network. If you have a 4G LTE Smartphone with monthly data usage over 5GB, you'll also be interested in this information. You can check your usage for this month by dialing *data# on your mobile phone.

If you have one of our tiered data plans, this information will not affect you.

Background: In response to soaring mobile broadband usage and the limited availability of wireless spectrum, we implemented a network management program back in 2011 to help ensure the best possible mobile broadband experience for all of our customers.

Here's an excerpt fro

post:

Faced with mounting public pressure,

AT&T

(

) has modified its plan to slow down service for customers with unlimited data plans whose data use tops 3 gigabytes.

Users who had complained that their service was throttled without warning will now receive a text message when they near their limit, according to the

. The action will not take place for several days.

Previously, AT&T reduced data speeds for the 5% of unlimited users who used the most data. People reportedly saw their service get throttled when they used about 2 gigabytes of data. AT&T's critics have argued that the policy is unfair -- an argument that was backed up by a recent independent study.

"There is virtually no difference in data consumption between those on unlimited and those on tiered plans -- and yet the unlimited consumers are the ones at risk of getting their service turned off," according to Validas, a wireless analysis firm,

"So it's curious that anyone would think the throttling here represents a serious effort at alleviating network bandwidth issues."

GO

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.