AT&T has updated its throttling policies to say it will now only throttle customers that are connected to a cell tower that is experiencing network congestion, reports Ars Technica. The wireless provider previously throttled customers with grandfathered in unlimited data plans when they exceeded 5GB of LTE data in a single billing period.
The updated part of the policy now reads:
“As a result of AT&T’s network management process, customers on a 3G or 4G smartphone or on a 4G LTE smartphone with an unlimited data plan who have exceeded 3 gigabytes (3G/4G) or 5 gigabytes (4G LTE) of data in a billing period may experience reduced speeds when using data services at times and in areas that are experiencing network congestion. All such customers can still use unlimited data without incurring overage charges, and their speeds will be restored with the start of the next billing cycle.”
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission filed a federal court complaint against AT&T in October 2014. The complaint alleged the carrier mislead customers by charging them for unlimited data, while reducing speeds by up to 90 percent after the 5GB usage point was reached. The FCC claimed AT&T did not properly inform their customers that they would be throttled at a certain usage point.
Despite the change in policy, AT&T could still face fines and penalties if it loses the case.
(Via MacRumors)
