I really am trying to like AT&T. The oldest telephonics company in the world,(survived by its many incarnations... The original AT&T doesn't exist anymore) they have such a rich history, that really defined the shape of our country. I have an unusual interest in the telecom industry. (look for my future blog post on the History of Telecom) Anyway AT&T is really rubbing me the wrong way lately, and this is just another nail in the coffin. ( or maybe I should say just another jack in the wall?? Phone humor!) If there's one thing I abhor is a collar and leash. Especially on my internet, but that is exactly what AT&T is planning. Starting May 2nd 2011, AT&T will have a 'cap' on how much it's DSL subscribers can download and stream per month. 150 gigs is what you get if your a DSL line holder, and a 250 gig cap for their high speed users. While this of course may very well be enough for people, myself included, I don't like that feeling of a ceiling above me. And more righteously, I don't like the idea of people being penalized for sharing information. Rationing out data just seems wrong, and unfortunately, AT&T may not be alone. Something this big is almost guaranteed for other competitors to follow suit.
And another problem I for see with this, is that most companies, have two tiers of Broadband, a regular DSL line and a higher speed version that usually involves fiber optic cables. Ex: Verizon Fios, AT&T Uverse etc.. With these type of caps, the higher speed services, look less attractive, because whats the point, you'll just download yourself to the limit anyway? There's no need to get a faster service, because you'll just reach the cap faster for your month.
I'm not liking the looks of this and hope this isn't a trend to come.
As always comments welcome
http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/13/atandt-will-cap-dsl-u-verse-internet-and-impose-overage-fees/#dsq-comments
I HATE that. Verizon with their data plans and now this? I know that Comcast technically doesn't cap their data limit (it's not in their agreement anyway), but if you download around 100GB a month they'll send you a letter in the mail telling you to cut back. If you don't cut back, they cut you off. Its just like winning at the casino; technically if you win too much money, a casino can say that you were cheating and that they don't have to pay you anything. For shame AT&T, Comcast, and every casino ever! For shame.
ReplyDeletefuck I used over 400 gb yesterday alone LOL! Thats why you switch to a public dns server and get a seed box!
ReplyDeleteI hate the idea of that. Something needs to be done before the internet is ruined! Soon there's going to be all kinds of restrictions and monitoring. We need to save the free, open internet!
ReplyDeleteI don't like the sound of this
ReplyDeleteI hope this motion stops.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I expect to see this ceiling lowered, as well. All a part of further corporate/gov't control of the web. Their statement on this policy also made no sense, claiming that the 2% of users who hit this limit slow down other users access. As far as I understand it, if an access point is slow, it's slow for everyone regardless.
ReplyDeleteI hate to tell ya, but this is currently the way telco's want to go. Usage based billing. Somehow they got in their head that this is the future. I don't know how they came to this conclusion. They totally forget that the internet didn't really took of until the flatrate tarif was introduced. Why they forcefully want to move away from this is beyond me.
ReplyDeleteExactly "mostly irrelephat" I remember when my family first got AOL, there was a pay per usage system in effect. So my sister and I were rationed Internet access to 30 minutes a piece. Thankfully, they did away with that horrible idea, but now, in some sense, its back...
ReplyDeleteA disgusting idea. It can't cos that much more. It's like fucking dial-up again..
ReplyDeletewoah mate that's an intense mind disgruntle.
ReplyDeleteI agree and following keep it going !
ReplyDeleteTotaly agree with you, have some friends with At&t, they arent really satisfied.
ReplyDeleteI miss cingular :( In my town ATT or nothing.
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http://www.text-upload.com/read.php?id=59011&c=4149760
They've been talking about this for years now. I'm just glad there is no cap on my ISP yet.
ReplyDeletenot cool mr.ISP
ReplyDeletenice blog
ReplyDeleteIn France, cellphone service providers are bitches too but it looks like it's less than AT&T
ReplyDeleteI think caps are outrageous. What's the point of advertising a service's speeds and the pace at which one can download films, if you can't actually download films? An HD film takes up a lot of space! If they don't increase the caps everytime the speed goes up, they'll not have my business. I'm hoping somebody will start a neutral, cap-free ISP in the US - one that never has to deal with net neutrality opponents and useless caps.
ReplyDeleteAll you gotta do is call to the retention dept and say you will cancel cell phone, internet and the same for your brother/father/sister who all have ATT.
ReplyDeleteI hate AT&T!
ReplyDeletenice blog, keep it up!
ReplyDeleteOne time Comcast shut off my cable internet because they kept calling me to tell me I was downloading too much and I never would answer their calls. The worst part is that they didn't even have a limit back then, they just said over 300 gigs a month was "excessive".
ReplyDeleteThats ridiculous Raw, whats excessive to one person isn't excessive to another. Fare thee well free internet..
ReplyDeletenot a fan of at and t
ReplyDeleteinteresting blog!
ReplyDeletehttp://turqoisemoon.blogspot.com/
I never like at&t
ReplyDeleteI totaly Agree with you.
ReplyDeletebtw. YOur Blog Design is beautiful!!
Followed.
Verizon is MUCH better than AT&T
ReplyDelete