FCC Says Verizon Can't Block Tethering Apps

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In Canada, we have a company called Public Mobile that doesn't allow tethering either but they also have by far the lowest prices on everything in the country. My 3.5" Android phone cost me all of $79 (no contract required), I'm paying $35CAD per month for unlimited Provincial Voice/Int'l Text/Voicemail and unlimited Data usage. They'll up it to $45 per month in 6 months but I'll drop the voicemail (since I never use it anyway, I just use text for messages) and it will be $38 per month then. It's ok for a company to say that tethering isn't allowed as long as they make it worth it not to do so. I'm happy as a pig in $*** with Public Mobile even though I'm not allowed to tether. There's plenty of WiFi hotspots all over the place in major cities anyway so it's not like it's some huge inconvenience.

 

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[citation][nom]carnage9270[/nom]Their argument is that a computer uses significantly more data to display things. The content they display is in a full format (not mobile mode) and the uses become endless. (Online gaming etc).[/citation]
Well, try to keep in mind that all the companies have to do is ensure that the data rate is too slow to be useful for online gaming. Mobile devices don't need very fast speed like computers do because, as stated by another poster, mobile devices tend to get abbreviated, low-res images with much smaller file sizes. This is not a good excuse for the big cell providers to be the crooks that they are.

 

[Guest]

fk verizon, att, sprint, and all the rest. hope freedompop is as good as it sounds.

 

[hoofhearted]

[citation][nom]carnage9270[/nom]Their argument is that a computer uses significantly more data to display things. The content they display is in a full format (not mobile mode) and the uses become endless. (Online gaming etc).[/citation]

Seems kind of stupid on their part if you ask me. My logic is that by allowing them to use their computer, it will suck through their 4 Gigabyte allotment quicker and move into overage territory. More people would tether without having the tether tax and hence a percentage of those would incur overage.

 

[hoofhearted]

One thing I would like to see taken care of is the stupid forced dataplan on smartphones. If I own the Android or iPhone (not under contract anymore), why should I be forced into a data plan if all I want is voice and text and only use data from my personal home wifi? Forcing consumers to pay for something they don't want or use should be illegal.

 

[hoofhearted]

While I don't like the sneaky overage fee. I hate the fact that you have to pay an extra fixed fee just to tether even more. It is just like saying that you should have to pay more because you use the youtube app instead of web browsing because is sucks down the data quicker. Or if you eat your burger with your hands and eat it too fast you should have to pay more as opposed to eating it more slowly with a fork and a knife.

 

[teh_chem]

[citation][nom]hoofhearted[/nom]One thing I would like to see taken care of is the stupid forced dataplan on smartphones. If I own the Android or iPhone (not under contract anymore), why should I be forced into a data plan if all I want is voice and text and only use data from my personal home wifi? Forcing consumers to pay for something they don't want or use should be illegal.[/citation]
Ditto. I actually filed a complaint with the FCC against AT&T (before I eventually left AT&T), and the response was basically, "the service provider is not in violation of the contract that they and you agreed to upon initiation of service." So basically, the FCC says "we don't care, you have to do what your provider says."

Unless smaller providers that do not follow the gouging practices of the big players gain momentum and power (and subsequently don't become corrupted by this power), nothing will change because people are happy to continue to pay exorbitant fees to the larger providers. 🙁

 

[icemelted]

Maybe more folks need to complain for it to make a difference:
http://www.fcc.gov/complaints/