AT&T to Impose DSL, U-Verse Usage Caps

[elbert]

This sounds like a bait and swap deal. They bait you in with the bandwidth and then cap you over time. Illegal without question to force current costumers over.

I suggest ISP's sale bandwidth they can for a price and stop using bandwidth to compete for customers. I for one would rather pick an ISP based on lowest average latency, down time, and price. I always buy the lowest priced package from an ISP because 1MB bandwidth connection is more than I need.

 

[hoofhearted]

(1) I am paying for "unlimited". (from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/unlimited):
un·lim·it·ed –adjective
1.not limited; unrestricted; unconfined: unlimited trade.
2.boundless; infinite; vast: the unlimited skies.
3.without any qualification or exception; unconditional.

(2)This is anti-competitive especially to Netflix and Hulu. AT&T is just forcing people to drop these companies and go with their uverse content. Why doesn't the FTC or FCC call foul?

 

[dark_lord69]

greed at work...

 

[cptnjarhead]

seems like an opportunity here for people to put their money were their mouth is.
If you think AT&T is ripping people off, then start your own wireless company.
Give all your customers unlimited bandwidth for a low price.
If the service is good and reliable, you will get my cash.
however, after all the money invested in, research, development and then operational cost, you too will come to the EVIL conclusion... "OMG! WE NEED TO MAKE A PROFIT, to stay in business"
I could be wrong though. Maybe you just want to work hard for no profit at all, just in the good conscience of customer satisfaction and sticking it to the man.
hell you can start right now, tell your boss that you do not want that EVIL paycheck and see how good if feels not to make a profit.

 

[peterdoctor]

Anyone know if the cap will apply to business class?

 

[mchuf]

[citation][nom]SirGCal[/nom]They just hate people streaming instead of paying for their overpriced TV. Only the people can fight back. Cancel your services, move to competitors... TWC tried this in our area and failed. We (so far) still have uncapped usage. I don't use bit-torrents or anything. But I do work from home and do video conferencing and stream online TV. I can burn through their cap in an afternoon. It's ridiculous. And they have no real reason to do so other than pure greed. Their other excuses are a load of crap. And 2% my hairy backside... I'm tempted to move back to Japan with my 150M/sec down and up, unlimited for a huge $45/month... That's internet service. States ain't got nothing close. FIOS maybe for the extreme few who can actually get it but... And I even live in a Verizon serviced area... No plans for FIOS... ever... in our area... weee...[/citation]


People using residential service for business is part of the problem. Buy their business service instead. Now residential customers have to pay for people trying to get out cheap.

 

[Guest]

I am a retiree of AT&T and have already discontinued my phone service with them. I will not hesitate to change companies for my DSL. I don't care about the uverse because with all the channels there is very little worthwhile on. As far as "overages"; we pay for a service so that we can use it! Not simply to put money in their pockets. It should be illegal for AT&T or anyone else to charge poeple for a service they are already paying for.

 

[Guest]

I just signed for 18 Mbps UVerse service last week. Sales rep said there were no caps and a week later, caps. Rather dishonest, huh.

If I keep ATT, I will drop from 18 Mbps to 3Mbps since they will not let me make fair use of the 18 Mbps. Yes, you can pay extra for 18 Mbps but you cannot use it more than 250 GB a month.

18 Mbps is a day or so of normal use. Who just checks email nowadays. Video is where its at and ATT does not want me to watch anyone else's Video. This sounds illegal. This sounds like a monopoly.

ATT and the Cable Companies are denying fair access to Internet based services. This really is illegal and should be halted by government regulators.

 

[Guest]

BTW, please write the FCC and the Justice Department (fax, email, letter). Basically, I wrote this:

AT&T U-Verse is moving to usage caps this May 2nd. I feel that AT&T U-Verse is practicing monopolistic practices by limiting Internet access to competing video providers. The other Internet provider in my area is Charter Communications (cable provider) and they have already implemented the exact same usage caps (its really a duopoly). What is the FCC doing about this. Please don't tell me you don't have a mandate from congress. This is clearly a violation of the FCC net neutrality stance. The FCC has an obligation to investigate the validity of the caps and to take a stand against restricted access to the Internet. Thank-you.

 

[Guest]

If you're a light to moderate user like me (less than 500MB a day on average) and ATT broadband is your only option, downgrade your DSL package if you haven't already and INCREASE your usage to put more stress on their woefully outdated infrastructure. Download the same files over and over again if you have to. Be as petty and spiteful as possible. If you're going to be paying for 150GB a month, make use of it.

 

[Guest]

I love that customers have been put in a position where they must prove themselves innocent if they disagree with AT&T's misinformation campaign.

You are guilty of dangerous thoughts if you disagree. You are a pirate if you use more than 18GB a month. You are a terrorist if you use more than the cap (i.e., you are trying to take the AT&T backbone down). Guilty they say before you even get a word out. It's all your fault.

Defend your innocence and fall into the trap. Attack the con and you can win.

 

[HPT]

Canada is much worse sadly, actually I would love these conditions compared to our service here. They are all working together to keep the price stable and avoid competition.

 

[Guest]

Go to http://myusage.att.com to find out how much you are currently using. Login with your "@att.net" credentials. I was shocked. http://i51.tinypic.com/34rsv0h.jpg

FYI: In 2008, AT&T conducted trials of usage-based billing two U.S. cities where users faced caps ranging from 20 GB to 150 GB and overage fees of up to $1 per gigabyte. The trials were discontinued in early 2010.

Household of 4. No cable, so the family watches a lot of Netflix on XBox and PS3(1.8GB/Standard & 3GB/HD for 2 hours of content). Online gaming. Game demos 1GB or more. Streaming one 42 minute (standard definition) Divx show is 350 MB. Downloading albums with Zune Pass. Youtube videos 720x480 16:9 around 80 mb. Almost at 190GB and it hasn't been a month yet. So I guess I'm in the 2 percent.

I'm in a area that has an independent cable system, the one I left for these AT&T(who I have 4 cell phones throught). I left because my cable bill was so high. Premium channels, DVR and all the bells. Found myself watching alot of things online minus commercials, so I switched. Well, I guess I'm switching back to cable minus the extras. Didn't use a lot of my unlimited data on 2 of my jailbroken iPhone 4 ( http://i55.tinypic.com/308f6du.png ) because of my wifi, but just because of this, I definitely will. I will still be doing what I'm doing, it's just AT&T won't get money from my bundled service anymore. Free any mobile to any mobile is good to me(even though I have Google Voice in my A-List), but this just set yall back so far in my book. I also will be starting a Facebook fanpage and a Twitter in your honor.

 

[thrasher32]

Gee I wonder what AT&T's plan is for when they lose half their customers because of their greedy policies? Hopefully that plan is bankruptcy.

 

[stevenrix]

One day they'll impose a usage on the air we breathe.

 

[Guest]

Say it again: we cannot win against the big corporations and their government lackeys. Keep saying it too. Your anger and your passion will wane; ATT is counting on it. Because deep down, you know its true. You cannot win. You are not strong. You do not have a voice. You are just going to sit there and take it - aren't you looser. (Laughter is heard in the background).

 

[Guest]

Here's another ATT budget-buster...forced moves from DSL to U-Verse! My latest Service Agreement says ATT can move me to U-verse "at applicable rates" "solely on their discretion" (!)
So not only would I have no choice in the matter, they want me to pay for the forced upgrade!
Time to look at wireless access again...

 

[Guest]

From now on I will let everyone know that ATT sucks - their TV service sucks, their Internet services sucks, their mobile service sucks, their wireless service sucks. This may be untrue but if ATT is being dishonest with us regarding the caps and severely limiting access and thereby crippling our ability to use the Internet now and in the future because of their need to kill competition, shouldn't I return the favor. I mean, if over the next year in various conversations, phone calls, emails, blogs, chats and so on, I just let it drop that ATT delivers very unsatisfactory service, am I not returning just a fraction of the injustice ATT has done to me. And if I can influence just 5% or maybe 15% of the people I talk to, then perhaps the lost revenues will help ATT to understand just how much I hate their monopolistic behinds.

So take the pledge and return the favor to ATT for their robberbaron theft of access to an Internet that our government developed and gave to its people.

Take the pledge and return the favor.

 

[Guest]

----------------------------------------------------------
The ATT Ten Commandments of Usage Caps
----------------------------------------------------------

Thou shall take my cap onto your heart so that you may benefit.

Thou shall not have any other content provider before me.

Thou shall not have any right to Internet access that is not apportioned to you by me.

Thou shall not covet thy neighbors Internet nor covet Internet access in more advanced societies.

Thou shall show steadfast love for me and render onto me all that thine possess in reverence thereof.

Thou shall not turn to false prophets that preach a free Internet.

Thou shall kneel to my power over your representatives.

Thou shall not make false witness against me.

Thou shall not testify or demonstrate or take action against my corporate body.

For I am your holy provider, who brought you up out of the land of ignorance and into my house. So sayeth I.

 

[Guest]

What I really dislike about these caps is that AT&T wants its customers tethered to 200 channels stuffed full of aggravating, demoralizing, and completely unwanted commercials.

Trying listening to a FM radio channel and you will spend most of your time listening to advertising. Unfortunately, most of AT&T's 200 hundred channels have the same problem - an obnoxiously high advertising content such that nothing is really worth watching anymore unless it's seen from a recorded show that can be fast forwarded during the commercial breaks.

This is what AT&T is protecting and this is the true end result that we will suffer through for another decade. Television content made worthless by endless commercials. Do you like CNN? Actually its called CNNN now - Commercials Not News Network because if you change the channel to CNN, the odds are greater than 50/50 that you will hit a commercial break.

We are at the threshold of exchanging this tired (and tiresome), ultimately untenable video delivery system with a new model whereby we pay directly for what we want to watch without advertising. We do not need 200 channels. We do not need 500 channels full of content mangled by repetitious, idiotic, insulting advertising. What we do need is five to ten shows we like, some news programs, and the occasional movie without commercials.

I would pay for that. There are companies poised to provide content directly to viewers commercial free. We have (or had) an Internet that makes that possible. But we have a couple of obstacles. First are large ISP's that act like robber barons. Second, is the government agencies (FCC, Justice Department, Congress, President) that act like sheriffs on take.

We need to quit pretending we are powerless in this situation and form our vigilante committees that will string up the thieves and replace the corrupt sheriffs and politicians such that we can as a nation determine our own destiny. We the people are the nation. And the thieves better start get their act together and reform their thoughts and deeds. ATT, FCC - there are two ropes on those gallows for those who believe they are beyond the law.

We live in the 21st century, in the digital age. I will not be dragged back into the 20th so some exec can have a bigger bonus and a second vacation home. F*** them.