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This article seems overly biased. > But above all, Verizon’s data throttling is shady in areas where even AT&T can’t compete. Even when AT&T had unlimited data

by kbd 16y ago

This article seems overly biased. > But above all, Verizon’s data throttling is shady in areas where even AT&T can’t compete. Even when AT&T had unlimited data, the company did not practice throttling, and an independent test showed its unlimited data was truly unlimited. So AT&T couldn't keep offering unlimited data and went to a 2GB/mo plan. Is the author really faulting Verizon for not keeping up with a plan that AT&T doesn't offer anymore?

Bud 16y ago
AT&T actually could and did keep offering unlimited data, if you had it originally. I know, cause I kept the unlimited service for quite a while. Also, recently, they have re-instituted the unlimited option, if you ever had it before. And you are blatantly ignoring the throttling, which is the really offensive part of what Verizon is doing. Why are you doing that?
- kbd 16y ago
  I was actually going to add a second paragraph about the throttling but figured my point was uninteresting so I deleted it. I think the throttling is expected. Consumer wireless data plans are intended to handle stuff one is likely to do on a phone. If you start pumping gigs of torrents or something over the network, I'd expect the carrier to throttle you. My problem with the way Verizon handled this is their lack of transparency. They've said their top 5% data users will be throttled. They should really publish an expected amount of data transfer that would put a user in that segment, and indicate how they'll throttle you. I also don't like that they said loudly "our plans are unlimited!" and then in a footnote that had to be pointed out by someone else, "oh yeah but we'll throttle you if you use 'too much'".
  - kbd 16y ago
    One more thing in the interest of full disclosure. I actually forgot that AT&T grandfathered in their unlimited plans. They're still available now if you never went off that plan?

by kbd 16y ago

Bud 16y ago

AT&T actually could and did keep offering unlimited data, if you had it originally. I know, cause I kept the unlimited service for quite a while. Also, recently, they have re-instituted the unlimited option, if you ever had it before. And you are blatantly ignoring the throttling, which is the really offensive part of what Verizon is doing. Why are you doing that?

kbd 16y ago
I was actually going to add a second paragraph about the throttling but figured my point was uninteresting so I deleted it. I think the throttling is expected. Consumer wireless data plans are intended to handle stuff one is likely to do on a phone. If you start pumping gigs of torrents or something over the network, I'd expect the carrier to throttle you. My problem with the way Verizon handled this is their lack of transparency. They've said their top 5% data users will be throttled. They should really publish an expected amount of data transfer that would put a user in that segment, and indicate how they'll throttle you. I also don't like that they said loudly "our plans are unlimited!" and then in a footnote that had to be pointed out by someone else, "oh yeah but we'll throttle you if you use 'too much'".
- kbd 16y ago
  One more thing in the interest of full disclosure. I actually forgot that AT&T grandfathered in their unlimited plans. They're still available now if you never went off that plan?