AT&T Implementing Home Internet Caps Starting May 2nd
The story goes as such: DSL customers will be facing a 150GB monthly usage cap, with an extra $10 fee applying to every additional 10GB you consume. As for U-verse customers, they'll have a 250GB cap (the same as Comcast's high-speed users). AT&T seems to be assuring people that this change is for everyone's greater good. Or in their words, to better promise a good user experience. By placing limits on usage, it will likely make heavy users think twice before consuming bandwidth that they may not necessarily need. It probably won't go over well with users, but that's the way it'll be. Consumers could always switch carriers if it makes a big difference in their lives.
Mark Siegel, a spokesman for AT&T, had this to say: "We are committed to providing a great experience for all of our Internet customers." Easy for him to say. On the bright side, AT&T will not be leaving consumers in the dark when it comes to these changes. According to the WSJ: "
AT&T said that it would alert customers multiple times if they are near or exceeding the limit, including proactive notifications when a customer hits 65%, 90% and 100% of their monthly allowance. Similar to its wireless service, the carrier would provide tools to allow customers to check on their usage. The carrier said that less than 2% of its customer base would be affected by the policy. The company plans to send notification of the change later this week."
There looks to be no going back from this as far as AT&T is concerned, and now the real question is whether or not other carriers follow suit, or stand up like Sprint and promise to keep the "unlimited" in unlimited.
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lol i didn't even know AT&T provided home internet :P |
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Its called slow ass AT&T DSL. So glad I get Comcast and 85mbs down speed. |
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How the heck do you get 85mbps, soldier? I pay for their top 50mbps connection and usually get around that much but never 85. |
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I"d like 150 any day over freaking 25 gigs @ 5mbps (realistically, 4mbps) that the CRTC still wants to impose on us canucks. |
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this is insane. Is ATT trying to get worse company of the year? |
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Really? Another company going backwards and saying it is a good thing? |
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"Consumers could always switch carriers if it makes a big difference in their lives." That is the biggest joke of them all. I live in Los Angeles, CA, one of the biggest cities in the world, and where I live I have a choice of two Internet providers, Comcast and AT&T (VZ's FIOS hasn't made it to my neighborhood yet). I recently switched to AT&T's DSL from Comcasts Cable (Yup, I'm a cord cutter), and now this news...at this rate, I'm going to be forced to use those old crank military phones for Internet access (you know someone will figure out how to make that work eventualy))) |
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We, Americans, have gotten so easy to push around, we will put up with crap and think it is rib eye. Dump ATT and give them the message that you are tired of the crap and you ain't going to take it any more! I just drop the whole Uverse package and will dump my wireless when my contract runs out. I went to a lesser service, Cox and am just as happy. Hell, I download 250 gigs every few days. Any way grow a pair, stop whining, and stand up. It is time we stand up againest big business and Wall Street. |
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I like the attitude, swamp! |
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DATA CAPS? Time to dump them then. That's all. |
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It's called "oh, you don't want to pay for Cable TV anymore, you're going to watch TV on the web? Fine, we'll find a way to still charge you $100 a month to view your favorite shows WITH COMMERCIALS" |
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" Consumers could always switch carriers if it makes a big difference in their lives." Which carrier would you suggest? my ONLY options are AT&T or Comcast. |
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They picked the wrong side of the technological revolution to implement data caps. 2 hours of HD Netlix streaming uses around 3GB to 3.6GB (@ 3200-3800kbs). 3 people in my house stream netflix to their own TV's, making 2 hours of HD streaming per night add to 9-10GB's. This alone, without any other internet usage, would cap out the internet in 27 days. Add pandora or other downloading and legitimate usage of the UVerse service could feasibly cap out in 15 days. Honestly, once you move past the college aged roommate phase I can see a normal household staying under 250GB. Side note: Seeing as UVerse's top speed is 24Mbs, you could theoretically hit the 250GB cap in 1 1/2 days. |
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My heart bleeds. Here in Australia, the best I'm able to get is 60GB for 69.95 or 200GB for 90.00. Seriously, you guys have it easy. |
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And therein lies the problem. U.S. companies see the ridiculous prices other companies get away with in the rest of the world and think - hey if Europeans and Australians are willing to pay that kind of money, then we can get away with it too. |
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Bhulett, You're missing the point. The fact that you have an even worse situation doesn't make *our* terrible pricing any better. It just means you have it worse. |
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This is totally unreal. yeah, i pirate, yeah i seed, but i also stream movies, game CONSTANTLY, i have TONS of programs that NEED constant internet access. what in the world are they thinking? If i have to drop them well... i have no internet, its as simple as that, they are my ONLY option. |
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Wow what BS I have been a customer with ATT DSL for a very long time just because of the types of policies that Comcast my only other choice imposes on their customers slowing down certain types of traffic at one point and data caps. This is where regulations is supposed to help the consumer but obviously in these cases where they companies have their customers by the (you know what) it is killing the reason to compete. This type of crap is one reason why America is so far behind the rest of the world when it comes to internet connectivity. And to say it will only really effect 2% of users WTF then why do it they more than make up for the bandwidth with the rest of their customers. |
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if everyone would call their cable/internet provider on the same day and cancel that would give them a big wake up. |
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ATT is GARBAGE. i'll RAGE if Verizon does this too.....and I do see Verizon making the same move in the future. Especially after the BS they've been pulling since the Vphone announcement/Release |
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We just got the notice today that we have used 65% of our data package that we did NOT sign up for! It is only 7 days into our billing cycle. Oh and thanks AT&T for not charging us the additional fees this month (the first month you spring this crap on us) because that gives us enough time to switch over to another internet provider in our area- which, by the way, was scheduled today!!! Goodbye AT&T, you suck!!! |
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