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tannerb's profile

Contributor

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3 Messages

Tuesday, December 13th, 2016 1:01 PM

Cell Phone Internet

Hi I'm wondering why ATT penalizes people that have an unlimited internet plan on our cell phones, and by this I mean we have service that slows down after so many gigs!! Why why why? I feel we are penalized and my bill even though I have unlimited internet is still expensive. I do have a cell phone I'm paying on. Why not let us keep our data at the same speed? We can't help it you changed the plans and we don't want to pay more for the newer plans #unlimitedinternet

ACE - Expert

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34.6K Messages

7 years ago

Having the Wireless Unlimited Data plan (available only to U-verse and DirecTV customers) is a CHOICE you made.  For all intents and purposes, it is a 22 GB plan, with trottled data beyond that for an unlimited amount of data per month.  If you do not like that, then switch to some other plan.  Done.

 

Don't chose a plan then complain about what you chose.  Geesh.

 

 

ACE - Expert

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64.7K Messages

7 years ago

To be accurate, data is not automatically slowed down, it is reprioritized which means it might be slowed down if the network is congested. Many unlimited plan users report using much more than 22GB with no slowdowns. Compare that to the old unlimited plan. For many years, it was automatically throttled after 5GB.

ACE - Sage

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116.4K Messages

7 years ago

Find a carrier that doesn't.  (That'll keep you busy)

 

 

Professor

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3.2K Messages

7 years ago

@tannerb You are not throttled, you are repriortized ONLY if there is network congestion. Think about it; if there is network congestion, EVERYBODY'S data is slow, not just yours.

 

And it is 22 GB for each individual line. If you have 4 lines and 3 don't hit 22 GB, they aren't affected.

ACE - Expert

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34.6K Messages

7 years ago


@Busternutt wrote:

 

@..And it is 22 GB for each individual line. If you have 4 lines and 3 don't hit 22 GB, they aren't affected...

That is an exceedingly good point, one that I was not aware of at all.  I thought it was 22 GB in aggregate, but the plan information clearly says "per line."

 

ACE - Sage

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116.4K Messages

7 years ago

@JefferMC  Yup.  That means a family of 4 paying $180 a month, has almost a full 100 gigs before they MIGHT experience any slow down.  Because data is reprioritised, not throttled, it can't be any slower than 3G (ATT has shut 2G speeds almost everywhere) 

As opposed to tiered data plan 4 lines and 25 gigs is $190 and will absolutely be slowed to 2G speed once the shared data plan hits 25 gigs.  This is slowed by computer to 2G speeds.

 

 

 

Contributor

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3 Messages

7 years ago

WELL for one I am not a direct tv customer nor will I ever be they are horrible and their customer service you might as well talk to the wall because your shadow on the wall would reply and make more sense than their reps.. as for the phone I'll say that again Phone service that is a cell phone line for 2 people not 4... I received a letter when ATT started messing with their customers phone service.. the letter stated that you can stay unlimited but if you do your phone data will drop to this amount of speed when you reach a certain amount of usage! How is that fair? That's like telling someone you can watch this movie but only if you watch it at this speed. I pay for unlimited. It did not state ATT would just decide oh hey customer....your unlimited data package is dragging the network down because that's what we offered and you bought into it.. so in that case your speed drops your to because you used too much data... now your movie on your phone will reload 500 times before it is even over.

ACE - Sage

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116.4K Messages

7 years ago

@tannerb  

You are completely misunderstanding what you read and the ATT unlimited data policy.

None of this is new.  ATT started throttling unlimited plans at 5 gigs in 2010.  If you have a grandfathered unlimited plan, you were throttled for years.  Many never noticed.  

In 2015 they changed the policy, stopped throttling and used reprioritizing and raised the limit to 22 gigs before reprioritising.   

The notices were a response to a threat from the FCCin 2014.  The FCC threatened to fine ATT 100 million be cause ATT did not adequately inform their customers of their data throttling policy.  

 

ATT chose to start immediately sending out copious notices to customers by email and text.  

Many thought that this was a new policy.  Nope.  ATT had been throttling for years, but no one noticed.   Back when the notices started going out the forum was flooded with complaints about this "new policy" and "how dare ATT start throttling my data".   

Funny, ATT had been doing it for 5 years. 

 

 

 

 

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