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FCC Rules That Verizon Cannot Charge For 4G Tethering
schleprock63 writes "The FCC ruled today that Verizon cannot charge extra for users for 4G Wi-Fi tethering. The FCC used the original agreement in the auction of the C block spectrum which said 'licensees offering service on C Block spectrum "shall not deny, limit, or restrict the ability of their customers to use the devices and applications of their choice on the licensee's C Block network, subject to narrow exceptions."' So Verizon cannot charge for tethering on 4G service, this raises the question of whether they can continue to charge for tethering on 3G or 1x?"
About time we got some smart rulings.
I don't see why this won't apply to 3G or any other type of tethering either, since it's all the same.
Be seeing you...
Obviously, Wall Street is not too worried about this. They're trying to move everyone to bundled data packages anyway.
Note that this ruling applies to Verizon ONLY. It's a result of the rules they agreed to during the 700MHz auction a few years ago. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and everyone else are free to continue to charge you extra for what you already paid for.
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
So if I read the article correctly, since they're no longer able to charge $20/mo for tethering, we should all brace for industry-wide data plan price increases of... about $20.
So THIS is why they converted to the consumer benefit-free data-bucket plans. You can add any device to your plan, but they'll make sure it bites your smartphone and every other device in your plan in the ass if you make a single wrong step. Well played.
FCC: "Can you hear us now?"
VZN: "Yeah, and we got it covered."
There's a spot in User Info for World of Warcraft account names? Really?
I'm still leaving as soon as the iPhone 5 comes out. Only so many times that you can be treated like complete crap before you won't take it any more.
...wait.. what? They did something good for customers?
[Gilda Radner] Never Mind [/Gilda Radner]
"shall not deny, limit, or restrict the ability of their customers to use the devices and applications of their choice on the licensee's C Block network, subject to narrow exceptions"
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s'okay - even if the FCC ruled that Verizon cannot charge for any tethering at all, they'd simply charge for using the phone in a 'special data mode', or they'd happily rig all new phones to count double towards your data cap while tethered (after all, you're using two data 'channels' now - one to the laptop, and one to the tower!). Basically, they'd come up with some other sleazy move that sounds halfway legit to the non-techie user.
Never underestimate the capacity of a telecom carrier to do evil for profit.
Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
If the FCC had any bravery in them, they'd find a way to kill off the rampant use of metered data - and without the carrier raising the cost.
The lack of metered data is what had made the Internet good to work with. Now all it does is just engender politics about who gets exempt - much like the Bad Old Days of Compuserve.
Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
In fact, I remember what pissed me off... I specifically got Skype on Verizon a few years ago, just used the smartphone functionality. Well shit, Verizon bought Skype... I ended up having to use Skype calls like regular phone calls. That's when I knew I was not looking back.
Verizon didn't by Skype, Microsoft did for $8b. Skype was Verizon's bitch for free.
Yes, but at least the ruling means that if they try sleazy moves, there is a door to fight them.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
You paid for a certain amount of data. Let's say 3 GB. What you do with that data shouldn't matter. Yet they charge you 30 bucks (or whatever) to use that data in a specific way.
The Internet King? I wonder if he could provide faster nudity.
Never underestimate the capacity of a telecom carrier to do evil for profit.
Wait, the profit isn't just a fringe benefit?
Blank until
So Verizon cannot charge for tethering on 4G service, this raises the question of whether they can continue to charge for tethering on 3G or 1x?
Your answer lies in those "narrow exceptions".
Its a regulation on the bandwidth block used for 4g. not the range for 3g. different frequencies, different rules.
Does 4G ONLY use the relevant C block? If it's multiband, couldn't they just re-direct data bits to the non-C block they already had and continue charging?
Suit yourself, but a Schmeisser is lighter, heaps easier to hold on to, and can be used from a greater (and safer) distance.
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
You paid for a certain amount of data. Let's say 3 GB. What you do with that data shouldn't matter.
People who don't tether tend not to use all the data they paid for. Carriers count on overselling their capacity in this way.
You obviously haven't heard of VZW's new "share everything" plans, which eliminate unlimited data, and force all new contracts to be pay-by-volume at a significantly increased price. Or, that even if you have a "grandfathered" unlimited smartphone plan (which VZW can eliminate whenever they want), you will not be able to keep it and still get the every 2 year ~$500 new phone subsidy.
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
You would think Verizon would encourage thethering. That much easier to change overages.
Any insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
FTFY.
The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
There's a difference between making a profit and price gouging your customers.
If it doesn't use the C-block, it's performance drops too close to that of earlier protocols that also don't use the C-block, which would result in PR and marketing suicide.