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Angry AT&T Customers May Disrupt Service
g0dsp33d writes "Fake Steve Jobs, the alter-alias of Newsweek's Dan Lyons, is calling disgruntled AT&T users to protest comments from AT&T’s Ralph de la Vega that smart phone (specifically iPhone) usage is responsible for their network issues and his plan to end unlimited data plans. The post, dubbed 'Operation Chokehold,' wants AT&T customers to use as much data service as they can on Friday, December 18th at noon. While Fake Steve Jobs is notable for its satire, many Twitter and Facebook users seem to be rallying to its cry. It is unclear if there will be enough support to cause a DDOS."
This thing isn't only for iPhone users. It's for every user of the AT&T network with a 3G device. And if AT&T had trouble with casual usage, wait until a lot of users try to bring the network down.
Can't wait to hear how the whole thing went for both sides of this story.
At least you guys have a choice of providers. Here in Canada, we almost have government-backed monopolies with even higher monthly bills.
And if they can, AT&T will just say "I Told you So", and continue their plans to gouge iPhone users anyways.
The only way this can go well for AT&T customers is if a large, well-documented group gets together, attempts a DDOS, and fails. Then what can AT&T say? "Well it's not THOSE iPhone users, it's the ones who live in their parents' basements..."
At least for once the P2P users are not blamed for excessive network usage.
:/
Of course when we pointed out that the pirates were only the first one to encounter network bandwidth limitations we were told to buzz off and the whole net neutrality debate was pointless too.
Love many, trust a few, do harm to none.
Don't fall for the crap that network bandwidth is somehow limited because of usage problems. That's never been the issue with AT&T's network. The problem is simply that they don't have enough cell tower capacity to handle that many simultaneous users. This is why your phone service cuts out in very crowded areas.
So if a bunch of people simultaneously try to use the network, the cells will max out and a lot of people will be out of coverage, but the network as a whole will continue to run just fine.
Getting AT&T to increase cell density is a nice goal, but so is getting cells to remote areas. It's a matter of priorities, but a covered area that has insufficient capacity is better than an uncovered area with zero capacity.
How could anyone really think this is a good idea? AT&T has effectively admitted that the data usage growth for smartphones is above the rate that their data network will be able to grow. Using more data intensive applications will only show them how correct they are ("Look how much data will be used in the future when more people are streaming data")
In addition, what if this actually interferes with an emergency call?
Sorry that this might not be anti-corporate enough, but Operation Chokehold really isn't a great idea.
...and "noon" should be tied to a timezone, otherwise it's several smaller spikes.
You know, it's times like this that I'm glad I have Verizon.
Seriously, folks, this is like crazy Berkeley behavior. All you're going to do is make sure that every other AT&T customer - like the ones whose family members are sick in the hospital, or who just got in a massive wreck, or who just got carjacked, or maybe are waiting to hear from a family member overseas - can't get service. All so you can point out that AT&T has a grossly inadequate network, which is something that everyone knows already. The completely nontechnical people I know at work all complain about AT&T service even when they don't have 3G service at all. What's your point?
Pretend-inciting a virtual cyber riot? Why, that hypothetically violates some possible public safety laws! This guy had better watch out, he might go to meta-jail for his semi-crimes!
But seriously, AT&T is going to try to sue him. :(
Their may be a grammatical error, misspeling, or evn a typo in this post.
Selling us all unlimited *contracts* that they know they cant deliver, then later switching it to limited while we are still stuck with the contract should be something the FCC should look into.
---- Booth was a patriot ----
I'm changing my plan to the lowest pricing structure possible. I am going to log every dropped call and file a FCC complaint as it will have "stolen" minutes from me.
I have two iPhones with 3000 min day & 3000 min night + rollover, unlimited texting and the required data plan.
I'll send letters off to the AT&T consumer oversight about the obvious overselling of the data//cell service by AT&T - much like the old airlines used to do with seats and overbooking - betting that the no-shows will prevent bumping. Here, we have virtual bumping from saturated networks.
Frankly, AT&T ought to be dissolved - the Corporate Death Penalty and give the shareholders not a dime. The company has, through several iterations, demonstrated its gross incompetence too many times to exist. It is a monopoly and all monopolies must die. Let's kill AT&T - screw the shareholders. Time for "too big to fail" to take a nosedive into history.
Disconnect those users. The iPhone zealots have nowhere else to go. Telling them to go for the Droid is like telling a crack addict to drop their habit by smoking pot and slurping vodka. Take down a few thousand users, and the majority will quickly stop complaining.
i have an iphone 3gs and i max out at 2GB per month if i stream pandora almost all day for a month.
2*1024*1024*1024/(8*3600*30)*8 = 20Kbps. That's some darn good compression they're using.
Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
I agree, and yet I don't. Unlimited means unlimited, it doesn't mean "Within reason."
AT&T needs to get it's shit together.
ad logicam Claiming a proposition is false because it was presented as the conclusion of a fallacious argument.
It is unclear if there will be enough support to cause a DDOS...
... or, if they're successful, whether AT&T wireless customers will notice anything has changed.
#DeleteChrome
There is a time zone. It's noon PST.
Except the iPhone get blamed for the wrong things. Does it have problems, sure, but don't blame the phone for problems on the network. I'm on an iphone in Europe and 99% of the criticism out there doesn't apply to me because I'm on a decent network. Most of the "problems" are pretty minor though so why do people feel the need to talk thrash about the iPhone instead of just accepting they don't like some aspects of it and getting another damn phone ?
If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.
I actually do have an iPhone, purchased about 6 months ago (and while I like it, it's far from perfect - overall I dislike Apple as a company). Before that, my service was still AT&T using a Motorola handset. They both drop(ped) calls at about the same rate. I'm all for AT&T users demanding that the company provide service for ALL of its customers via a reliable, properly scaled network. If they're willing to sell the hardware that consumes the services, they need to buck up and provide the infrastructure to support those customers.
I really don't care WHICH phone Mr. Asshat Bossman of AT&T thinks is the main cause of his company's illness. Point is, they constantly rate dead last for reliability AND customer service among all national carriers. I can tell you this - ATT doesn't fix their problems in a fair (to the consumer) manner, when my contract is up I'll sell this little bugger to a "fanboi" and get a Droid phone, or even just a fucking regular handset, to get away from these clowns.
For conscience is the wound, and there's naught to staunch it
By everyone using as much bandwidth as they can, they can demonstrate to AT&T how much money they could have made if they had a cost per bandwidth setup going. The accounting guys are foaming at the mouth for this to happen.
Really? What if the new plan offers more data than you currently still use in a month?
If you do leave, where will you go to? You realise other networks are likely to follow suit?
The problem in the US isn't the proposal to cap data. It's the complete and utter lack of affordable data in the sort of quantities the mass market needs to encourage mobile internet use to take off.
They are protesting AT&T's announcement that smartphones are disrupting its network. By using smartphones. To disrupt AT&T's network?
Perhaps because the closer something is to what a person wants, the more they're likely to notice and bitch about what's missing. Why bother bitching about the crappy products, after all? You know their makers aren't even trying.
0% of iPhone users on AT&T can get a tethering plan from AT&T.
the crying to pay is crap - what your hearing is the bait and switch complaints.
they sell it as unlimited - and are now using their lack of network growth to justify changing contracts to 5gb max meaning unlimited while pocketing the money.
As far as i'm concerned the tethering iPhone users can be cut off - they knew when they bought the phone that it wasn't allowed. In fact that is the chief reason i don't have one, because i do tether a lot.
AT&T justs wants to continue over selling their network and charge more for it too - all to fund the top people and not actual network expansion.
'...if only "Jumping to a Conclusion" was an event in the Olympics.'
why? when i bought the router it said on the box 100Mbps Ethernet. And thats what i got. they don't say unlimited.
whats happening is they are saying Unlimited for X and then charging you X+Y where Y is usage over 5gb.
if they want to do that then they need to state that and remove the word Unlimited as that is false advertising.
'...if only "Jumping to a Conclusion" was an event in the Olympics.'
If a few users could actually bring the network down with high usage, then the network itself is shit and can't support the product they are selling. During an actual unplanned event like the balloon boy or 9/11 or anything that gathers national attention thousands of people take and upload photos, video and text to website as the events unfold in addition to making actual phone calls about said events. If an actual emergency can prompt the fall of a network preventing me from calling 911 about an emergency, then the said company is endangering lives just to not spend money on network upgrades. This protest won't even be noticed by the network admins let alone be a fraction of a real peak of data usage.
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Nothing to see here, move along, move along.
Doesn't matter. The chokepoint is at the local tower not at the backhaul. So doing this at noon in your timezone should be adequate.
Now if their network is so janky that New York is still seeing problems at 3PM when LA starts in...
Yes, geeks are supposed to be knowledgable and have a penchant for solving perceived problems through creative methods:
Is spending $300 to update my 1yo phone to get voice dialing that already works on my 4yo razr "creative" or "stupid?"
Jailbreaking an iPhone may be considered creative to some. To me, needing to jailbreak an iPhone to get basic functionality is flawed, not creative. Really, are people still patting themselves on the back for jailbreaking?
You forgot to note that he said "join their clause", rather than "join their cause", thus making himself just as guilty of typo's as the submitter of the article.
*cough* =)
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3. Realize that you're still making bucketloads of money due to the overpriced nature of cellular and broadband services in general and stop whining.
"And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the World"
1 John 4:14