[Laura Knotek]

BUSTED! AT&T begins crackdown on iPhone jailbreakers using MyWi tethering | ZDNet

[LazyStarGazer]

And the carriers try to gouge consumers again.

Did they have to spend millions and millions of dollars to enable this?

If someone is paying for 2GB, it shouldn't matter how they use or access it.
Nothing but greed.

[cpc12]

Greed = Corporations

Dont get me started on Corporations, this is a tech forum ...

[zwoof]

AT&T network is garbage. Enough said.

[AStranger]

And the carriers try to gouge consumers again.

Did they have to spend millions and millions of dollars to enable this?

If someone is paying for 2GB, it shouldn't matter how they use or access it.
Nothing but greed.

I agree in principle. The thing is, this is in their ToS agreement so you agree to it when you sign on.

[MobileMadness002]

And the carriers try to gouge consumers again.

Did they have to spend millions and millions of dollars to enable this?

If someone is paying for 2GB, it shouldn't matter how they use or access it.
Nothing but greed.

Can't agree more with this comment.

[LazyStarGazer]

I agree in principle. The thing is, this is in their ToS agreement so you agree to it when you sign on.

Yes, but...
People agree to it because they have no other acceptable options.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but all carriers do this, therefore you don't really have a choice.

Going back to a dumbphone, out of spite or on principle, is NOT an option most people will accept.

[AStranger]

Yes, but...
People agree to it because they have no other acceptable options.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but all carriers do this, therefore you don't really have a choice.

Going back to a dumbphone, out of spite or on principle, is NOT an option most people will accept.

I know what you mean about choices. I would love to see a company change their policies to allow this, but I frankly don't think it's likely.

For many people tethering is a more luxury feature and so market-wise they feel like they can charge for it. As it becomes more popular, I imagine/hope one of the companies will start offering plans that included tethering that will be cheaper. That's part of the reason why it concerns me that AT&T is buying t-mobile - it will reduce that competition factor.

I know it sucks, but I just disagree with people who are saying AT&T is such a horrible company for simply making an effort to enforce it's terms of service agreement.

[djransom]

And the carriers try to gouge consumers again.

Did they have to spend millions and millions of dollars to enable this?

If someone is paying for 2GB, it shouldn't matter how they use or access it.
Nothing but greed.

They're not targeting those with 2GB because if they go over they charged. They're targeting those with unlimited data.

[berryfit]

I can see this from both sides.

AT&T (or other carriers) don't want to give it away because if you tether, you'll use it as a strict modem and the drain on the networks would be crazy. You use less bandwidth by using your phone, but tethering would bog down the networks. You don't use your computer like you use your phone.

Consumers, already paying premium on data, texting, plans, etc. My family plan with Verizon costs me $230 per month for 5 phones, on a 700 minute plan, unlimited texting, data on each phone..and my unlimited data plan on my bb. We have low minutes because we don't talk on the phone tons...we text, email etc..so this works out well. But its a fortune to be paying in these tough times...they're not making it easier.

[LazyStarGazer]

They're not targeting those with 2GB because if they go over they charged. They're targeting those with unlimited data.

As I understand it, if you tether, no matter how much or how little, US and Canadian carriers want you to have a tethering plan.

They are going after ultra heavy users first, as they are obvious targets.
Eventually, they may serve notice to people who only tether small amounts of data as well.

2GB was just an arbitrary number, btw.

That's my 3 cents. You can keep the change.

[SandAngel]

Yes, but...
People agree to it because they have no other acceptable options.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but all carriers do this, therefore you don't really have a choice.

Going back to a dumbphone, out of spite or on principle, is NOT an option most people will accept.

Ummmmmm. You always have a choice.

[LazyStarGazer]

Ummmmmm. You always have a choice.

Sigh.
Yes, you always have a choice, but my point is that consumers are not offered a reasonable choice.

1. Pay someone to bend you over.
2. Watch from the sidelines.

These are not great choices.

[SandAngel]

Sigh.
Yes, you always have a choice, but my point is that consumers are not offered a reasonable choice.

1. Pay someone to bend you over.
2. Watch from the sidelines.

These are not great choices.

It's all a matter of perception.

If you were selling a house or car would you try and get the most you could or just chop the price down to what the buyer wanted? You absolutely would charge as much as you could and anybody who didn't like it always has the option of walking away!

You certainly couldn't blame the seller if you were the one who signed on the dotted line knowing all the facts .

[MobileMadness002]

Sigh.
Yes, you always have a choice, but my point is that consumers are not offered a reasonable choice.

1. Pay someone to bend you over. << To use the service. >>
2. Watch from the sidelines. << Not to use the service. >>

These are not great choices.

But choices none the less.

[LazyStarGazer]

I forgot about the third choice.

Install software/apps that let me tether without my carrier knowing about it.

= Win!

[SandAngel]

I forgot about the third choice.

Install software/apps that let me tether without my carrier knowing about it.

= Win!

HMMMMM so it's ok if YOU stick it to them

Kind of hypocrotical

[kbz1960]

If they have the ability to throttle/deny access it shouldn't matter 5gb is 5gb no matter how you get it. When you reach 5gb do your throttle or deny. But no it's a way to make more record profits.

I wonder how much expendable money people really have when the price of everything is going up and they are taking more out for taxes and taxing us more and more on everything (and I'm not talking about just phone companies) yet most peoples wages are frozen or you get such a tiny raise they might as well keep it.

[LazyStarGazer]

HMMMMM so it's ok if YOU stick it to them

Kind of hypocrotical

They are not offering a reasonable choice.
If they were, I would accept it.

And yes, I do feel justified sticking it to them, if I feel that is how I'm being treated.

[SandAngel]

Sigh... Bottom line is you DO have a choice. You just do not CHOOSE to exercise that opton. They can only
"stick it to you" if you bend over and let them.... Which you did!

Thats the price you pay if you want what they have. don't like it? Open your own company.

[avt123]

Thats the price you pay if you want what they have. don't like it? Open your own company.

That is completely logical. Open your own cell company and spend billions so you can save a couple thousand of dollars throughout your life and not have to buy a tethering plan and a data plan. Awesome idea.

Tethering plans are stupid and I plan on cheating the system every time I need to turn my smartphone into a hotspot. Alert the press.

[LazyStarGazer]

Sigh... Bottom line is you DO have a choice. You just do not CHOOSE to exercise that opton. They can only
"stick it to you" if you bend over and let them.... Which you did!

Thats the price you pay if you want what they have. don't like it? Open your own company.

OK, I'll say it again. Consumers don't have a GOOD choice.

It's like going to a restaurant for dinner. They give you their fork, knife and spoon to eat it with, because that's just how they do things.

You prefer to eat with your own knife, spoon and fork, which you bring from home. A few moments after you put them on the table and begin eating with them, the manager walks over to inform you that you need to pay a $20.00 surcharge if you want to eat with 'Optional, Non-Standard Utensils'.

I now have a choice. I can pay the 20 bucks, or eat with what is given to me.

Is it a good choice? NO.
Does this extra charge make any sense? NO.
Is the $20.00 charge a rip off? YES.

Did I mention that there are only 4 restaurants in town, and they all have the same stupid charge?

Did I also mention that these 4 eateries are part of national franchises that have a virtual monopoly in the industry?

[MobileMadness002]

The extra charge does not have to make sense, it is in the TOS. You expect the carrier to abide by the TOS, they expect you to abide by it.

I would expect the Unlimited plans to be gone with totally in the near future, at least I hope they are. We Canadians have never had unlimited, at least I have not seen any, and have dealt with just nicely. At least we can tether with any plan over 1 GB. We just pay extra if we exceed the 1 GB.

As for your analogy, if it is written in the TOS of eating at the diner, you would be expected to abide by the TOS. If you don't like it, don't break the TOS.

[LazyStarGazer]

Ohh yes. Let's hide behind the Terms Of Service agreement.
A lovely document that gives the average consumer a headache when they try to read it because it's written in legalese.

I suppose that's the fault of consumers. They should hire a $200/hr lawyer to explain their cell phone contracts to them.

I sometimes forget how many telco employees, corporate apologists and lawyers there are here.

[MobileMadness002]

Ohh yes. Let's hide behind the Terms Of Service agreement.
A lovely document that gives the average consumer a headache when they try to read it because it's written in legalese.

I suppose that's the fault of consumers. They should hire a $200/hr lawyer to explain their cell phone contracts to them.

I sometimes forget how many telco employees, corporate apologists and lawyers ther are here.

I read my TOS, I abide by it. My carrier abides by it as well, You read yours or at at least agreed to it. Now it is your choice to abide or not, but don't come crying to us when you are charged accordingly. As for being an apologist, I am not, I am a realist.