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AT&T To Match Google Fiber In Kansas City, Charge More If You Want Privacy

An anonymous reader writes: When Google Fiber started bringing gigabit internet to cities around the U.S., we wondered how the incumbent ISPs would respond. Now we know: AT&T has announced they will match Google Fiber's gigabit offerings in Kansas City. Of course, there are some caveats. First, AT&T's rollout may stop as it fights the Obama administration over net neutrality. Not that it would be a nationwide rollout anyway: "AT&T does not plan to offer the ultra-fast Internet lines to every home in the market. Rather, he said the company would calculate where demand is strongest and the investment in stringing new cables promised a decent return."

There are also some interesting pricing concerns. The company plans to charge $70/month for gigabit service, but that's a subsidized price. Subsidized by what, you ask? Your privacy. AT&T says if you want to opt out of letting them track your browsing history, you'll have to pay $29 more per month. They say your information is used to serve targeted advertising, and includes any links you follow and search terms you enter.

227 comments

  1. Please note: by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "AT&T may collect and use web browsing information for other purposes, as described in our Privacy Policy, even if you do not participate in the Internet Preferences program."

    So, there's the $100/month 'Yup, definitely spying on you' tier where "your Internet traffic is routed to AT&T's Internet Preferences web browsing and analytics platform"(good luck finding out exactly what that entails; but it's probably bad); or the $70/month 'Ominous and vague "other purposes"' tier.

    How much evil do they manage into their 'browsing and analytics platform' to be $30 worse than their baseline level of spying?

    1. Re:Please note: by AK+Marc · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Will they be blocking Tor for the cheaper service? It's cheaper to opt out with a VPN service than pay AT&T. And how will they capture my search terms on the cheap plan if I use https://www.google.com/ ? Do they have some agreement with Google to pass off search terms from an encrypted session?

      It seems like something that would be easy to block, for those that know and care, and those that neither know, nor care, won't care.

    2. Re:Please note: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Those that know how to get around it, probably are the type to respond less to targeted advertising, so probably not worth their time worrying about.

    3. Re:Please note: by pixelpusher220 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      On the contrary, apparently AT&T is fully on board with complete Title II provisions and are providing explicit examples of why we need Title II...and frankly splitting up every ISP into actual ISP companies and what the fuck ever else they want to be companies.

      --
      People in cars cause accidents....accidents in cars cause people :-D
    4. Re:Please note: by postbigbang · · Score: 3, Interesting

      A nice VPN is a great idea. The very idea that your privacy is worth such a pittance is really insulting.

      --
      ---- Teach Peace. It's Cheaper Than War.
    5. Re:Please note: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Where are you going to put the other end point of that VPN?

    6. Re:Please note: by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

      some random node anywhere....

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
    7. Re:Please note: by daniel142005 · · Score: 1

      With the same bandwidth Google Fiber offers? Good luck.

    8. Re:Please note: by SethJohnson · · Score: 5, Interesting
      I'm thinking you set up your browser with the foxyproxy plugin so all normal http requests for HTML are forwarded via socks proxy. The heavy lifting stuff goes straight out and back in through the open fiber connection. I doubt AT&T wants to parse video files. They want to see and modify the clear-text HTTP stuff.

      The weird thing is this type of traditional snooping will be defeated as more content providers are switching over to HTTPS. AT&T aren't technical dummies, so they know that. I'm wondering if their scheme doesn't require a special browser plugin that automates an MITM attack on https....

      What's weirdest of all is that until now, federal law has protected the ISPs from liability over the content they transmit:

      Section 512(a) protects service providers who are passive conduits from liability for copyright infringement, even if infringing traffic passes through their networks. In other words, provided the infringing material is being transmitted at the request of a third party to a designated recipient, is handled by an automated process without human intervention, is not modified in any way, and is only temporarily stored on the system, the service provider is not liable for the transmission.

      The rationale behind that statue was that ISPs can't be held accountable for copyright-infringing material going over their wires because filtering it would be too onerous. If AT&T sets up such a monitoring system, it pretty well defeats the claim they don't know what their subscribers are transmitting / receiving.

    9. Re:Please note: by amiga3D · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I'll take the cheaper one since they'll still be spying on you regardless. I don't care if they target ads to me because I don't pay attention to ads anyway. Cynical as I am I consider all advertising to be lies and ignore anything they have to say as total bullshit because......that's what it invariably is. I love Pepsi's ads, they blow the lame ones Coke has away, but I don't buy Pepsi because to me it tastes like shit. Ads are bullshit plain and simple. I don't get why gullible people believe and listen to lies like that.

    10. Re:Please note: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I hope they can be required by law to inform customers of the reason they're getting that price. And not a little asterisk in a sea of text. An agent actually explaining it to the customer if signing up over the phone and requiring the customer to state that they agree to being tracked.

    11. Re:Please note: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      AT&T says if you want to opt out of letting them track your browsing history

      If you go to https://google.com/ then they may know that. Might not know what you search for. But they might know what domain you click on, based on the unencrypted DNS traffic. (They may have an even easier time to know what you click on if you use their DNS servers.)

      Captcha: objector

    12. Re:Please note: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your service is 'authorized' through a keylogger. If you want to remove the keylogger (or rather if you want them to convince you with a gold certificate that it has been removed), it will cost you another $29.

    13. Re:Please note: by ComputersKai · · Score: 1

      In this case though, since they seem to be explicitly stating that they will collect information, they'll have justification to do a lot more than what's "normally" collected.

    14. Re:Please note: by MichaelMacDonald · · Score: 1

      Also, right now, VPNs don't handle gigabit speeds. As it becomes more popular, they will. They can, also, claim to not be able to track 'everything', just highlights that allow them to forward ads. Basically, it sounds like you're going to have to install adware on your computer if you want the $30 discount. It would make sense. The adware will probably be what tracks your usage, and if you don't use it you will be charged extra or something. Either way, if you agree to it and decide to save the $30/month, they are going to screw you. I don't know, if I had the option I would just pay the $100/month, unless there were a better option available that was cheaper. I would still use my VPN, though, for as much as made sense to use it for. The google fiber alternative sounds much, much better.

    15. Re: Please note: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a choice of "some privacy" or "some more privacy". Is one any better than the other?

    16. Re:Please note: by peragrin · · Score: 2

      It gets better.

      Cities with google fiber get 3-4 ISP's to choose from while the majority of the country get 1 ISP to choose from, 2 if they are lucky.

      Therefore we need title II to stimulate competition in cities that are currently being stuck with just one ISP.

      --
      i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
    17. Re:Please note: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oddly, Title II will reduce the ability of the FTC to bring antitrust actions - an argument AT&T recently made in court:
      http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/10/atandt-ftc-motion-to-dismiss/

      Title II recognizes and sanctions monopoly status. Some here will cheer that as recognizing the status quo, but Title II does little if anything to enhance competition. In fact depending on the legal status of forberance, Title II could raise barriers to market entry.

      Ultimately the best route is Congressional action since its rules would be well-grounded in the authority of the interstate commerce clause. Congress could also craft rules protecting neutrailty and giving pole attachment rights without the monopoly sanction of Title II.

      I realize that many here view Congress in a bad light, but keep in mind that Chairman Wheeler is a former cable lobbyist. There is some question as to whether he has the authority to apply Title II in the light touch manner he describes. I would not be surprised if the rules were crafted to fail in court, leaving no open internet protections

    18. Re:Please note: by funkymonkjay · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Unlike TOR or VPN, HTTPS doesn't hide everything. They can see where you are going, the hostname/ip and port. That alone says volumes about you.

    19. Re:Please note: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Those who know how to get around it do so by opting to take their business to Google Fiber.

    20. Re:Please note: by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 2

      In this case though, since they seem to be explicitly stating that they will collect information, they'll have justification to do a lot more than what's "normally" collected.

      So you will pay 30 dollars more and think they aren't collecting and using the same amount of information? How cute!

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    21. Re: Please note: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You haven't seen targeted ads yet? Try Hulu, then load up google search, search for a few terms, busty girls, jaun hung Lowe, etc, then go back an start Hulu, or jump over to YouTube, and see what ads show up. All the services track you, no matter what one group you are, art,google, Verizon, all make money off you, whether you have VPN or not. If you are that paranoid, there are a few other steps you have to take to be safe. None of them are hard, but they make you a ludite.

    22. Re:Please note: by cygnwolf · · Score: 1

      True, but it doesn't allow them to see your search terms, which tfa specifically says they will be logging.

      --
      Free Pie! The Pie is Also Evil!
    23. Re: Please note: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Just exactly what kind of spying do you think Google is doing on you? ... They aren't offering Internet services because laying cable is profitable, they're doing it so they get more comprehensive information on you via.. spying.

    24. Re: Please note: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      it will if it was an HTTP GET wouldn't it?

    25. Re:Please note: by Wycliffe · · Score: 2

      I love Pepsi's ads, they blow the lame ones Coke has away, but I don't buy Pepsi because to me it tastes like shit. Ads are bullshit plain and simple. I don't get why gullible people believe and listen to lies like that.

      Ironically, what you don't realize is that the advertisement is working. So you like pepsi better than coke. What about all the other
      much cheaper colas? Yes, in some ways pepsi and coke are competitors but their prices are the same and they are both actually
      better off pretending to be competitors. Their real competition is the offbrand but they have managed to convince everyone including
      you that they are a premium brand when in reality if given 10 different colas you probably would have a hard time narrowing it down
      to which one is the actual coke.

    26. Re: Please note: by XanC · · Score: 1

      No.

    27. Re:Please note: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually it may turn out to be a bad thing that does some good - Now big business has out a value on privacy - it is easier to prove damages or loss when they take it away from you.

    28. Re:Please note: by postbigbang · · Score: 1

      That's their retail value. If you're suing Anthem in a class action because of their breach, the value will be astoundingly different.

      --
      ---- Teach Peace. It's Cheaper Than War.
    29. Re:Please note: by Solandri · · Score: 1

      The weird thing is this type of traditional snooping will be defeated as more content providers are switching over to HTTPS. AT&T aren't technical dummies, so they know that. I'm wondering if their scheme doesn't require a special browser plugin that automates an MITM attack on https....

      Why would they need a browser plugin? A third only needs the plugin to insert themselves in the middle. As an ISP, AT&T is already in the middle. They could simply redirect all your https queries to their own server, which executes a MITM attack and contacts the real server on your behalf. A lot of employers already do this to track and discourage employees using work computers for personal tasks.

    30. Re:Please note: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are an idiot if you think they spy on you because of advertisement. Advertisement is and has always been an excuse to spy on people since the NSA saw the Internet exploding in popularity. The NSA probably uses ad companies to disguise itself behind those companies to spy on you. That is the way it used to be, not they don't care about disguise themselves anymore and just admit they spy on people. I don't mind NSA spying on me, what pisses me off is that I don't get to spy on them. To make this fair, the government should make laws to make EVERYTHING done in the government transparent. Once they do that, I will gladly make ALL my data totally accessible to them including my webcam so they can see me while watching unappropriated movies ;).

    31. Re:Please note: by pixelpusher220 · · Score: 1

      First, any argument made by AT&T or Verizon or Comcast is just a wee bit suspect given their clear biased position in these matters.

      Title II, deals with the fact that monopoly status exists in certain markets and thus Title II is needed to regulate that monopoly.

      How many natural gas pipelines do you want into your house? How many breaker panels for multiple electric companies providing you service?

      These are natural monopolies where regulation is necessary to manage the market. More actual utilities are being moved to separate infrastructure companies and supply provider companies.

      Wheeler's proposals don't go far enough, but they are a step towards the right solution.

      --
      People in cars cause accidents....accidents in cars cause people :-D
    32. Re:Please note: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't know about you but my connection to https://www.google.com through ATT has some injected stuff occasionally. I get a exclamation mark over my ssl lock. One of my browsers told me I had mixed content in the page. Anyone know if google.li belongs to google for sure?

    33. Re:Please note: by losfromla · · Score: 1

      Actually their real competition is information. Once you realize that no sugary drink is good for you, ever (unless you badly need calories even if devoid of nutrition), you will go to drinking only water. Nice water you purified at home with whatever method makes you feel better about drinking it. Their real enemy is water, the cheap drinks are probably made by the same companies and/or help keep the poor addicted until they can achieve drinking the aspirational products like Coke and Pepsi.

      --
      Only I can judge you.
    34. Re: Please note: by q4Fry · · Score: 1

      -1 Ambiguous?

    35. Re:Please note: by TechnoJoe · · Score: 0

      The rationale behind that statue was that ISPs can't be held accountable for copyright-infringing material going over their wires because filtering it would be too onerous [emphasis mine].

      Too onerous? How about none of their damn business? The analogy I use is asking the operator to listen to phone calls to make sure there's no illegal activity being discussed. Just because that sort of thing can be automated for the Internet doesn't make it right.

  2. Thought process by Kokuyo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I wonder about the thought process behind this.
    Our competitor launched an offering that blows everything out of the water that we offer. Let's provide a product to compete! But here's the catch: Let's make it suck! That'll show 'em.

    Are consumers just that dumb or is AT&T just that arrogant?

    1. Re:Thought process by dAzED1 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      so, do you think google isn't doing the same with their fiber installs? https://fiber.google.com/legal...

    2. Re:Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Both. Duh.

    3. Re:Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      yah, but we trust google more than AT&T.

      Also, google is likely doing it for their own benefit (google will aggregate and use data for their own business---they're unlikely to resell it), AT&T is doing it for the dubious reason of gathering data to sell to others (not to use it themselves). At that point, you don't know who'll end up with that data...

    4. Re:Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A little from column A, a little from column B.

    5. Re:Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They're trying to point a big neon sign at the fact that Google doesn't offer a privacy option.

    6. Re:Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, almost every ISP out there is going to collect billing information for your account...

      Otherwise, it doesn't seem like anything says they will collect information about accessing other people's sites or searches, unless that site uses Google services (i.e. ads). Not saying they don't collect more, but you linking their privacy policy isn't in any way informative to that regard.

    7. Re:Thought process by Tailhook · · Score: 2, Insightful

      At least with the AT&T deal you can opt out, even if the terms are outrageous. Google doesn't offer any means to opt out, outrageous or otherwise. As to cost, I punch "google fiber cost per month" into Google's own site and $70/month for gigabit is the result. And Google's selective cherry picking of lucrative markets isn't any more egalitarian than anything AT&T is up to; let me know the next time Google wires up a violence plagued ghetto somewhere.

      Seems to me that at worst AT&T is guilty of mediocrity; they've managed to do no more than achieve parity with Google, and maybe a bit better by offering an alternative to being a marketing product.

      But yeah, don't let any of this diminish the lick-spittle outrage; go right ahead and hate all over AT&T all you need. That's what clickbait is for.

      --
      Maw! Fire up the karma burner!
    8. Re:Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      No, mediocrity is the least bad of AT&T. They want to only compete with Google, and make no attempt to improve services elsewhere. And they will only offer service in select areas. I bet it will be EXACTLY where Google services are, and not much further. Disappointing that you cannot recognize monopolistic behavior, and think it is just competition.

    9. Re:Thought process by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Except there isn't anything to indicate that Google is actually spying on you when you use their internet service.

      The whole point of this two tiered pricing system on AT&T's part is to make it seem as though Google is doing the same, but that doesn't appear to be the case. The reality is quite simple: AT&T wants to charge you $100 for the service, and if they can't, then they are hell bent and determined on claiming their pound of flesh in some other way.

      It isn't exactly a secret that AT&T (and Verizon) has been running a campaign to try to get consumers to value bandwidth at a higher price than they presently pay, because in their mind that is the future cash cow (since they've discovered that text messages, voice minutes, and cable TV aren't "cool" any more, and thus triple play is dying.) Haven't you ever wondered why them (and Verizon) got rid of their unlimited mobile data plans? Hint: It has nothing to do with a lack of spectrum (they have plenty in their possession.) Meanwhile T-Mobile and Sprint (with much lower spectrum holdings) have not.

    10. Re: Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Now you're just talking out of your ass.

    11. Re:Thought process by OldSport · · Score: 4, Informative

      Consumers are actually that dumb. There are a lot of people out there who will gladly let every iota of their personal information be sucked up in exchange for a cheaper price.

    12. Re:Thought process by Alpha232 · · Score: 5, Informative

      let me know the next time Google wires up a violence plagued ghetto somewhere.

      https://fiber.google.com/citie...
      Oh trust me... there are plenty...

      Also, I believe the city had some say in where they started, and in what order zoning/permitting was/is being approved.

      Now if you want to go and say they are cherry picking markets as in those where it will do well (big cities), let me show you every commercially available communications advance (POTS with > 28.8, DSLAMs, ISDN, Cell Service, 4G, Cable, Broadband)

    13. Re:Thought process by Alpha232 · · Score: 1

      Oh and I will hate over ATT for the green soup that our land lines on the poles have turned into without any reinvestment.

    14. Re:Thought process by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

      yah, but we trust google more than AT&T.

      Out of the mouths of babes...

      sometimes only comes prattling nonsense.

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
    15. Re:Thought process by mysidia · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Our competitor launched an offering that blows everything out of the water that we offer. Let's provide a product to compete! But here's the catch: Let's make it suck! That'll show 'em.

      ATT is acting like a monopoly that needs to be broken up by the courts.

    16. Re:Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      At least with the AT&T deal you can opt out, even if the terms are outrageous. Google doesn't offer any means to opt out,

      Google Fiber doesn't do the kind of tracking AT&T has announced, so there's nothing to opt out of. You can clear cookies, use multiple profiles, download Google's advertising cookie opt-out plugin, use Bing, use AdBlock, etc., all of the things you can do with an ISP other than Goole Fiber, and Google won't take advantage of your Google Fiber account to reverse your action and identify you anyway. AT&T will. And AT&T has a history of such overreach:

        http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/att-shuts-down-mobile-part-adworks-advertising-network/2013-10-11

      That's what the discussion is about.

      If you have information otherwise _about Google Fiber_ and additional tracking you claim Google will do on you if you choose them as an ISP, then cough up that information because so far I don't believe you. If you want to say you trust Google _less than AT&T_, most of this thread will think you're crazy but go ahead and say that. If you want to say web tracking is more insidious than ISP-based tracking then I disagree, but go ahead and say that, too. Otherwise drop the FUD.

    17. Re:Thought process by ArchieBunker · · Score: 4, Interesting

      At least AT&T is up front about it. Google does everything listed in the summary but they rely on nobody reading the fine print.

      --
      Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
    18. Re:Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

      And Google's selective cherry picking of lucrative markets isn't any more egalitarian than anything AT&T is up to;

      Yes, it is. AT&T is wiring up neighborhoods Google wired or is about to wire, exploiting their monopoly elsewhere. Google did what AT&T claimed they were doing, and wired up based on demand density.

      let me know the next time Google wires up a violence plagued ghetto somewhere.

      Google did marketing and advocacy to try to get poorer neighborhoods to commit to service. And they offer 7 years of slow service for $300, payable at $25/mo for the first year, which counts towards the percentage threshold to trigger buildout. The threshold is adjusted for population density. If you accept that the rollout will be sorted by interest instead of politically, this seems like a pretty strong offering to poor neighborhoods, doesn't it? Result:

        http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/10/us/in-one-city-signing-up-for-internet-becomes-a-civic-cause.html?_r=2&smid=tw-share&

      "With almost all of Kansas City, Kan., including low-income areas, achieving their sign-up goals, Google’s focus over the weekend was here in Missouri, where it worked with community groups to register people,"

        http://www.fastcompany.com/3036659/elasticity/lessons-from-googles-first-rollout-of-google-fiber

      "Homeowners have to give permission for Google Fiber installation—something not all renters and nobody in public housing can do. [...] Renters’ landlords often will not pay the installation cost of $300, despite the fact the deal guarantees Internet at that residence for seven years. (In Austin, another Google Fiber city, Google offers some people in public housing the option to sign up.)"

    19. Re:Thought process by amiga3D · · Score: 1

      Yes consumers are that dumb and Yes AT&T is that arrogant.

    20. Re:Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Plus, they can point to their low number of $100 subscribers and say "See, customers don't want web privacy".

      Internet access used to be fully ad supported. You'd get a huge banner ad but the connection was free. How have we let them charge us and get the banner ad?

    21. Re:Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Did you read https://fiber.google.com/legal/privacy.html?

      Technical information collected from the use of Google Fiber Internet for network management, security or maintenance may be associated with the Google Account you use for Fiber, but such information associated with the Google Account you use for Fiber will not be used by other Google properties without your consent. Other information from the use of Google Fiber Internet (such as URLs of websites visited or content of communications) will not be associated with the Google Account you use for Fiber, except with your consent or to meet any applicable law, regulation, legal process or enforceable governmental request.

      Either (1) Google is lying in their privacy policy (doubtful--even if you didn't trust them it'd be a big liability) or no, they're not doing all that AT&T. The only fine print is "100 times faster Internet claim is based on the FCC’s benchmark for broadband of 4 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload. Go to Google Fiber Help Center for further details. Service not available in all areas."

    22. Re:Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      by "we" you mean stupid people like you?

    23. Re:Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are consumers just that dumb or is AT&T just that arrogant?

      yes.

    24. Re:Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I love how it's worded...

      Other information from the use of Google Fiber Internet (such as URLs of websites visited or content of communications) will not be associated with the Google Account you use for Fiber, except with your consent or to meet any applicable law, regulation, legal process or enforceable governmental request.

      In other words, they will use the information, but it won't be tied to your account, correct?

      How about some federal laws guaranteeing our privacy as to our surfing habits and what we watch on TV?

    25. Re:Thought process by WaffleMonster · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Except there isn't anything to indicate that Google is actually spying on you when you use their internet service.

      This would be redundant. Virtually every website on the planet already reports to Google for one reason or another.

    26. Re: Thought process by don.g · · Score: 2

      Google Fibre, like every other ISP, will at some point have to monitor some subscribers traffic to debug network faults and the like. They're being upfront about it, that's all. If you want an ISP who never runs tcpdump, good luck to you.

      --
      Pretend that something especially witty is here. Thanks.
    27. Re:Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've always had to pay for my internet, it has never been free for me.

    28. Re:Thought process by HiThereImBob · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I suspect you are exactly right. What AT&T is doing here is adopting googles policies / business practices and raising them by an order of magnitude. They are pushing it to the point where they are almost certain to get yelled at by the FCC, at which point they will point at Google and cry "but they get to do it, why can't we?".

      They hope to make this whole "fast internet" thing unprofitable for Google so they will go away and let them rape the american public in peace. What AT&T understand is that Google isn't in the broadband business for (direct) profit. Google makes their money selling ads. They want you on a fast internet connection so you can run more searches and watch more youtube videos. The bandwidth limiting "caps" and other nonsense the incumbents have been up to lately have forced Google's hand. Much like their current Net Neutrality situation, these idiots did it to themselves.

      It's sad to see a large company throw these temper tantrums. Pathetic might me a better word.

    29. Re:Thought process by itzly · · Score: 1

      As Douglas Adams said it aptly: "We don't care. We don't have to. We're the phone company"

    30. Re:Thought process by MichaelMacDonald · · Score: 1

      It depends on what process AT&T uses to monitor your traffic. If it's something that can be bypassed easily with a VPN or proxy of some sort, then yeah - it will be the same as Google. If not, and they force to you install some sort of adware on you pc or in your browser or something, then it changes. If they stop you from using vpns, if they use dpi, there are a lot of IFs. How far is AT&T willing to go. If it's the same as Google, great, but we don't know.

    31. Re:Thought process by MichaelMacDonald · · Score: 5, Insightful

      ^ This -- They aren't providing a better alternative, they aren't trying to compete at all with Google, they are simply protecting their by offering a similar product that's slightly worse, and confusing people with it. Their marketing will make it sound very different from this article.

    32. Re:Thought process by MichaelMacDonald · · Score: 1

      This nonsense didn't work for dialup, and it won't work here. In the end AT&T will lose, and be forced to provide full service for $70 if they do that. They will have to be much more sneaky about how they place and manage their ads. I don't know how they will do it. Unless they just outright sell the information to advertisers who will use it how they want. I don't know. This is how all the big dial up providers tried to do things, though, when shit started going south because of cable/dsl. I mean, legitimately, cable and phone aren't long for this world. These companies have to be in panic mode right now. In 10 years we might be sitting around saying - remember AT&T? They were big once, right? Yeah... For those of us on this side, we can't wait for them to die - we already see them as dinosaurs, but they have a shit ton of money and executives who don't want to lose their 6 or 7 figure salaries quite yet :/.

    33. Re:Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then you're not old enough. NetZero, Juno, and a ton of other ISPs offered free dial-up (when dial-up was the only household choice) internet access. Normally you installed their software and connected through that, which also displayed a banner ad. Search online, you can still find free dial-up providers. Dial-up doesn't go as far as it used to, but it'll work for emergencies.

      You probably don't remember the first cable TV advertisements either. Cable TV was promised as ad-free. Everyone asked: "Why would anyone pay for TV when all the same content is free over-the-air?" Their answer: "Cable TV doesn't have ads. We'll spread the money you pay us to the channels so they won't need the ads". That didn't last long.

    34. Re:Thought process by tburkhol · · Score: 2

      You do realize that page basically says they're going to collect enough information to bill you for services, right? And that

      Other information from the use of Google Fiber Internet (such as URLs of websites visited or content of communications) will not be associated with the Google Account you use for Fiber, except with your consent or to meet any applicable law, regulation, legal process or enforceable governmental request.

      This is very different than AT&T's system, where they say

      we may use information about your individual Web browsing activity to deliver ads and offers tailored to your interests. For example, if you search for a car online, you may receive an email notifying you of a local dealership's sale.

    35. Re:Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm not "that dumb" but I am that tight for cash.
      $30 x 12 = a dentist visit, 50,000 mile service or part of a break job for the car, a class at the community college I need to train for getting a job that pays better, a plumber to repair a couple of broken valves in my house...

      I'm not technically savvy enough to do some of the work-arounds talked about here. I could be, I'm sure, with time and effort. Currently that time and effort goes in to my 2nd job. So I'll do the best with what I've got.

    36. Re:Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      yah, but we trust google more than AT&T.

      Out of the mouths of babes...

      sometimes only comes prattling nonsense.

      Then again, I haven't heard that Google pipes directly into the NSA.

    37. Re:Thought process by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Do you have any evidence of that? I mean evidence that they are monitoring the connection in some way and extracting information from your browsing habits. Obviously they do when you visit google.com, but that's quite different and would indeed be a big scandal.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    38. Re: Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      AT&T cannot be trusted.
      See Room 641A

    39. Re:Thought process by oodaloop · · Score: 1

      Do we really need any size print to tell us that Google will use terms we Google and use it to give us ads on our Google results page?

      --
      Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
    40. Re:Thought process by Bengie · · Score: 1

      AT&T is not giving an "alternative". Google doesn't track your Internet usage except for general network maintenance, any good ISP does this. Google will track your Google TV usage, but they don't resell that to 3rd parties without consent unless the data is anonymized and sold as aggregate statistics and not personalized.

    41. Re:Thought process by Kjella · · Score: 4, Insightful

      How does this (from TFA):

      AT&T says it tracks "the webpages you visit, the time you spend on each, the links or ads you see and follow, and the search terms you enter... AT&T Internet Preferences works independently of your browser's privacy settings regarding cookies, do-not-track, and private browsing. If you opt-in to AT&T Internet Preferences, AT&T will still be able to collect and use your Web browsing information independent of those settings."

      equal this:

      Technical information collected from the use of Google Fiber Internet for network management, security or maintenance may be associated with the Google Account you use for Fiber, but such information associated with the Google Account you use for Fiber will not be used by other Google properties without your consent. Other information from the use of Google Fiber Internet (such as URLs of websites visited or content of communications) will not be associated with the Google Account you use for Fiber, except with your consent or to meet any applicable law, regulation, legal process or enforceable governmental request.

      The last blurb just makes it clear that Gmail's terms of service apply when you use Gmail, this doesn't supersede any other agreement. And if you use Hotmail or Yahoo or your own email server Google won't collect any information on you, but AT&T will.

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    42. Re:Thought process by dave420 · · Score: 1

      They have to use the information if they are to send it anywhere. That's kind of what networks are designed to do...

    43. Re:Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you're that strapped for cash, why would you pay $70 per month for internet? There are much cheaper options that don't slurp your data.

    44. Re:Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Aren't they also moving into Atlanta? Basically half that city is a violence-plagued ghetto.

    45. Re:Thought process by Triklyn · · Score: 2

      I have this new brand of cereal to sell you. And ours guarantees that it is 100 percent free of prison rape too.

      You see any other brand of cereal give you that guarantee? no? well. you know, if you're willing to risk the chance of prison rape...

      Call me a cynic, but this just looks like AT&T selling me something that i shouldn't expect with my product in the first place... or jacking up the price by offering a discount type things... or just making the spying all legal like...

    46. Re:Thought process by Trailer+Trash · · Score: 1

      Are consumers just that dumb or is AT&T just that arrogant?

      YES!

    47. Re: Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Cherry picking, accounts in lucrative areas, bs...google fiber is in my area, should be here at the end of the month. So far, I have att's best service, even with their cable, TV, cannot watch YouTube video without cycling. Even lowest quality, Twc, cannot do it either, their app, drops me almost every commercial, you see, I'm at the end of a line, even google has me at the end of the line, an underground just installed line. Hopefully, realtime.

    48. Re:Thought process by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Do you have any evidence of that? I mean evidence that they are monitoring the connection in some way and extracting information from your browsing habits.

      Not sure if you are thinking of some shady folks in a room watchnig your personal traffic, but you can get the evidence for yourself in this manner:

      Install noscript on your browser. Set it to not allow any scripts.

      Now start going to random sites. First thing you'll notice is that some dont work correctly.

      But now there is a little yellow bar across the bottom of your screen, and with a click or two you can see what is being blocked. First stop, you'll see Google analytics and some often some other google scripts. Then very often Facebook, who is tracking you whether you have a facebook account or not. Some other ad trackers as well - there are a lot of them.

      So let's now temporarily allow all the scripts. Click. Now the page will reload. But just to annoy you, there are more scripts being blocked. Look at 'em if you want. More folks collecting data. Allow these ones temporarily, and you'll often find a third layer of scripts. I've found some times 30 or more little scripties reporting back to some place or another.

      If you have a high threshhold for boredom, you can even look up who these folks are. There are a couple scripts that are completely innocuous, that deal with font rendering. But most want to know where you were, where you are, and where you are going.

      That's just the scripts, not the hidden cookies - which you want something like "Better Privacy" for.

      And that's just the ones we know about.

      It's pretty obvious that every keystroke, every website we make or visit is monitored by something, Hell, if you try to use the net anonymously, you become interesting to some folks. I mainly use noscript and adblock as a way to make surfing tolerable. Privacy? Ain't happenin', and it's plain weird that AT&T is offering this discount to do what they are going to do to the "premium" subscribers too.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    49. Re:Thought process by ic3m4n1 · · Score: 1

      ... such information will not be used by other Google properties without your consent.

      This reminds of annoying pop up asking for consent every time I try to use Location services on my phone.
      In other cases it is just some check box ticked by default hidden under layers of settings. But hey it is my consent after all.

    50. Re:Thought process by Kiyyik · · Score: 1

      I can vouch for this. Google was VERY active in the east and south sides of KCMO during the various rollout waves, going out to community gathering places, knocking on doors, the whole bit. And these are not nice neighborhoods I'm talking about either. I was doing voter registration at the time in some of the same areas, and we did tend to bump into each other. They really wanted to get demand sufficient for all the neighborhoods they could, particularly those with schools in. I gotta say they did a pretty good job, too: in our neck of the woods, I think only 3 out of the 70-odd "fiberhoods" didn't qualify.

    51. Re:Thought process by Agronomist+Cowherd · · Score: 1

      Actually that was Lily Tomlin.

      --
      -DwS
    52. Re:Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Google doesn't track your Internet usage

      LOL

    53. Re: Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ^^ This. Everyone is arguing about the speedtest speed, an irrelevant number between 4 and 1000 Mbit/s, when the real number to argue about is the nflx/youtube/amzn speed, a number between 1 and 5 Mbit/s which affects you daily. Netflix speed is, of course, on the top of their chart:

        http://ispspeedindex.netflix.com/usa (click [expanded] to see GFiber)

      Is there any ISP besides GFiber that's capable of watching a 4k youtube video? I don't actually know the answer.

    54. Re:Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Gotta wonder why ATT in their infinite wisdom didn't pick a city that didn't already have fiber from a competitor.

    55. Re:Thought process by reanjr · · Score: 1

      My thoughts exactly. AT&T needs to be making this comparison in their marketing materials. Otherwise it sounds like they're trying to gouge the customer.

    56. Re:Thought process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Are consumers just that dumb or is AT&T just that arrogant?"
      Most consumers are that dumb, and AT&T is just that arogant!

    57. Re:Thought process by bouldin · · Score: 1

      What part of that privacy notice bothers you?

      Google requires you to have a Google account, but it explicitly says that data such as URLs you've visited or communication content will NOT be associated with your google account. There is no mention of targeting ads to your browsed websites or deep packet inspection or anything like that.

      I'm not saying Google is a saint or anything, but that privacy policy looks about as good as you can expect from a private company operating in the US.

    58. Re:Thought process by dAzED1 · · Score: 1

      *sigh* That's easy enough to stop...but not if they're my ISP, and not if as a term for being my ISP I have to have a google account, and not if they trace all the devices which get plugged into the router (as their statement describes). Now, despite my best intents to block all sorts of traffic, not allow third party cookies, clear everything every time the browser is closed, route all garbage traffic to 0.0.0.0, etc - they'll have my home address, and real info. "Then don't get google fiber" you say - that's not the question. The question is, why you think - given they're stating they'll collect this info - that what AT&T is doing, is any different. Why harsh AT&T, but not google? I know, I know, "we trust google more" - not after uber, I don't. Not after several of the other shiaty things they've done recently, showing true evil and corruption. I mean really, uber bragged about using burner phones to set up false pickups for Lyft drivers, and said it was just good "capitalism" and "competition" - and you trust them?

    59. Re:Thought process by dAzED1 · · Score: 1

      Google also says "we may access, and collect technical information from or about, televisions, set-top boxes, computer and network hardware and software, modems, or other systems or devices used in connection with Fiber" and "We may also obtain and use information about our Fiber users from outside sources for marketing purposes (such as commercially available demographic, geographic, or interest information)" - just what I need, the people who send me junk mail into my mailbox, having an inroad to targeted advertising during my web browsing experience. I know, I know, then don't use google fiber. That's not the question. The question is why is AT&T getting harshed for it? Because they have bad customer service? Have you never had a technical issue with your gmail account, and tried to get help? It doesn't happen.

  3. an option for privacy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    except that the "paid" tier of privacy is the same as google's.

  4. In other words, it's a tactical move by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    to call attention to the way Google makes money. They're hoping that the situation gets played up in the national business press, which could justify any operational losses.

    Also, AT&T will use this as a talking point in Washington. It wasn't just a hypothetical model, they can point to the fact that they actually MADE this menu offering to consumers.

    It's a smart move on AT&T's part.

  5. Bumped to 100 Mbps by rfengr · · Score: 2

    Well my ISP here in Overland Park, KS bumped me from 30/5 to 100/5 for free; huh, they could have done that years ago. Looking forward to Google Fiber this year.

  6. if there is a 'non-privacy' mode .. by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 2

    then does that mean they actively stop (or try to stop) your use of vpns and encryption?

    --

    --
    "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
  7. For targeted advertising? by viperidaenz · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How are they planning on delivering that? Through injecting ads in your traffic, email spam or letterbox spam? They don't have an ad network like Google.

    With the trend of more and more https traffic, how do they intend on sniffing that?

    1. Re:For targeted advertising? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      they plan to sell the data to the likes of google/facebook, etc.

      Or perhaps having this pricing tier to make people question google's motives.

    2. Re:For targeted advertising? by iggymanz · · Score: 2

      beacons work just as well on https page as http, and they can see your DNS queries.

    3. Re:For targeted advertising? by techno-vampire · · Score: 1

      I can see how they'll keep track of your DNS queries if you use their servers. If you don't, they'll either have to examine all outgoing traffic on Port 53, or block the port altogether, rather like they do with Port 25 to control email relaying by spammers. My guess is they'll just go for the blocking because it's easier, and because most customers won't know the difference anyway.

      --
      Good, inexpensive web hosting
    4. Re:For targeted advertising? by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

      How are they planning on delivering that? Through injecting ads in your traffic, email spam or letterbox spam? They don't have an ad network like Google.

      Easy - run the AdBlock filter set against a proxy (e.g. squid filter) and replace the web site's ads with their own.

      I mean, that would be less scummy than what they're advertising.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    5. Re:For targeted advertising? by tburkhol · · Score: 1

      How are they planning on delivering that? Through injecting ads in your traffic, email spam or letterbox spam?

      From AT&T's faq:

      For example, if you search for a car online, you may receive an email notifying you of a local dealership's sale.

      So expect this to mean out-of-channel advertising. In fact, it sounds like they mean primarily to deliver targeted email, rather than to inject html. I can't really imagine that an email address is worth $30/month to advertisers, so this really does sound like a punitive charge on people who are concerned about privacy.

    6. Re:For targeted advertising? by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

      That sounds like a pretty good deal then. Just give them an email address you don't use.

      Unless they start MITM attacking SSL connections to sniff traffic, as more services use it. Unless they're paying google, they can't find out what you're searching for because it defaults to SSL.

    7. Re:For targeted advertising? by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

      And when they get complaints because someones Google/Android TV can't contact 8.8.8.8?

      Complaints cost money.

    8. Re:For targeted advertising? by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

      They don't need to see the DNS queries, they know the IP address in an SSL connection. What they don't know. is what you're searching for when you go to google.com, or what articles you're reading, who you like on Facebook and who you follow on Twitter, or even what your account names are on those services, unless they pay those companies for that information.

    9. Re:For targeted advertising? by techno-vampire · · Score: 1

      I never said that blocking outbound DNS queries would be a good idea, just that some PHB might think it was a clever thing to do.

      --
      Good, inexpensive web hosting
    10. Re:For targeted advertising? by iggymanz · · Score: 1

      what happens when you start clicking on links in your google search result set, and they are all from porn sites of a certain genre, which they'll see in your DNS requests.

      As your browser loads ad crap, they might even see things in dns such as manboobbras.maceys.com

    11. Re:For targeted advertising? by iggymanz · · Score: 1

      no problem, mirror the DNS traffic and feed to a snooper / logger

      Probably all the large providers required to do this as part of the Waaaah on Terror anyway.

  8. See? Net Neutrality IS good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's making those idiots actually have to upgrade their infrastructure in an area they can no longer compete in. Yet still manage to screw you over anyway. Because you just know even if you pay the extra, they will still keep track of your browsing history.

  9. Left a Lot of Evil On the Table by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I feel AT&T really missed the Evil sweet spot with that tepid announcement. Terms like "Mercifully GRANT you WORTHLESS PLEBEIANS a fair and subsidized tariff on Our Internet" were right there for the taking. "Once we conquer the Dusky, Anti-Capitalist Muslim Usurper" - come on, AT&T! It's like you've killed your last white, long-haired cat in a fit of pique and now you really just don't know how to be EVIL. Let alone Evil. Let alone 'evil'.

    Companies like Apple and Google consciously build up good will balances - and spend them here and there. Apple's issue is that their customers feel there is a ton of good will in the account - but non-Apple people don't get it at all. With Google, their fiber initiative is a good will bank bonanza (for people who are lucky enough to be in remote, non-ocean-bordering geographically experimental locations). On the whole, I'm not sure where they fall on the Good Will vs. Evil balance.

    But AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and Time Warner are plainly evil, short-sighted Lovecraftian horrors who would consume the world were they not so transparently stupid in their evil. They should seriously fire the entire top 5% of their management structure across the board and have the board outsource their entire strategy and management function to random graduate MBA's from North Korea, Belarus and Eritrea. You'd get a much more focused and higher-quality Evil for pennies on the dollar. PENNIES ON THE DOLLAR, BOARD MEMBERS.

    TL;DR: assholes

    1. Re:Left a Lot of Evil On the Table by Required+Snark · · Score: 1
      "have the board outsource their entire strategy and management function to random graduate MBA's from North Korea, Belarus and Eritrea."

      You forgot Elbonia.

      --
      Why is Snark Required?
  10. Uhm. by TheSHAD0W · · Score: 1

    How... neutral.

  11. Google needs to get on the ball by rfengr · · Score: 1

    Unfortunatly in my part of town, AT&T has really jumped the gun on Google (see map): http://overlandpark.maps.arcgi... They are rolling along with fiber installation way ahead of Google.

    1. Re:Google needs to get on the ball by nehumanuscrede · · Score: 1

      It's only because Google announced their fiber rollout plan did AT&T decide to do anything at all. AT&T is quite concerned ( and rightly so ) that if they sit idle, Google will come along and take all of the high density areas away from them. Understand that high density areas = mega $$$$ to any provider.

      AT&T is not a proactive company. The status quo is just fine considering their monopoly / duopoly position. It's only when some crazy young upstart shows up and threatens their traditional business model does the company begin to do anything at all.

  12. Re:an option for privacy by gl4ss · · Score: 2

    the "more privacy" option is still as private as google.

    the less privacy option is dubious at best and copyright infringing at worst (they're going to ad inserting and search term saving.. in other words.. wtf, are they going to replaces googles ads when you do a google search?).

    --
    world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
  13. It's high time for a new consumer protection law. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Advertising has gotten out of control. When I visit a website, the operating system may be collecting information and advertising to me, the website may be collecting information and advertising to me, the website's corporate partners may be collecting information and advertising to me, the browser developer may be collecting information and advertising to me, and my internet service provider or cellular phone provider may be collecting information and advertising to me. I'm sure I've left out several ways that different layers of companies are trying to cram advertising down my throat.

    FUCKING ENOUGH WITH THE ADS ALREADY.

    If I visit your website and consume your content for free, you may attempt to advertise to me. If I pay a subscription fee for your website, shut the ads off. If I use your app, browser, or operating system for free, you may attempt to advertise to me. If I purchase your app, browser, or operating system, shut the ads off. And for God's sake, if you aren't piping internet service into my home at zero cost to me, you have no right to collect my information and advertise to me.

    We need a new law that says if a consumer is paying a company for a service, the company is not allowed to advertise to the consumer on that service. Period.

  14. Marketing Genius Move by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Apparently someone forgot to tell them that unlimited VPN service runs for about $10/month. For another $19 per month, you get the honest word of the company that's dicking around with you? Umm no thanks.

    1. Re:Marketing Genius Move by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      VPNs... yay! Another third party who has access to my traffic and could be snooping on it, modifying it or generally being a jerk. VPNs are not a solution to the privacy problem unless you have reason to believe you can trust the VPN provider more than your ISP. Frankly I don't trust somerandomvpn.com more than I trust the evil telcos. At least they are susceptible to public pressure and I know I can bring a court case against they if they violate the contract or the law.

    2. Re:Marketing Genius Move by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Good luck with that court case. Courts have upheld the mandatory arbitration clauses. And I don't see any telco bowing to public pressure. For the last major illegal thing they got caught doing, they gained retroactive immunity laws.

    3. Re:Marketing Genius Move by dkman · · Score: 1

      I also appreciate the "We'll go build out our service where better service already exists" logic when it would be better to improve service where Google fiber doesn't exist, making it economically difficult for Google to justify the investment.

      Right now I pay TWC $65 a month for 50Mbps. I have the option to pay AT&T about the same (and enter a contract). I would gladly take Google fiber here. Luckily I live in Charlotte, where Google fiber is in the works, sadly I live far enough from the center that I may not be able to get it.

      --
      I refuse to sign
    4. Re:Marketing Genius Move by Bengie · · Score: 1

      Yeah, a VPN with a single 1Gb port that shares with 10+ other people.

  15. Re:It's high time for a new consumer protection la by seyfarth · · Score: 0

    I like your plan. It's one of my pet peeves that I pay for satellite TV service and still have to watch ads. It seemed fair enough 50 years ago when the only choice was over the air and ads were the only way TV could make money. Those days are gone and the ads should die.

    --
    Ray Seyfarth, ray.seyfarth@gmail.com, http://rayseyfarth.blogspot.com
  16. Half and half by tepples · · Score: 4, Informative

    We need a new law that says if a consumer is paying a company for a service, the company is not allowed to advertise to the consumer on that service. Period.

    In some markets, providing a service costs more than advertisers alone or subscribers alone are willing to pay. Thus in markets such as pay television, an arrangement has been reached where advertisers pay a portion and subscribers pay a portion. If you require either advertisement or subscription and never both, the provider will have to raise subscription rates in order to continue to pay its costs. This will cause the majority of subscribers to stop subscribing, leaving too few subscribers. Good luck sustaining a service like cable TV or Hulu Plus once you've made every channel as expensive as, say, HBO.

    1. Re:Half and half by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 1

      Hulu Plus is losing customers like me because of their incessant advertising. I'd be willing to pay more for an ad-free service, but they don't offer it. On the other hand, I pay for two different streaming services, both ad-free. I'm actually fine with letting the market decide whether or not most services are ad-free or ad-supplemented.

      However, in the case of ISPs, I don't believe they should be be able to extract information from you for advertising purposes. That's pretty much equivalent to listening in on private conversation and scanning electronically for specific key words, then sending relevant advertising to you based on what you're saying in your private conversation. People would be outraged if this was happening. I fail to see how an ISP is fundamentally different, other than we're simply getting used to this sort of intrusion.

      Moreover, ISPs are granted spectrum and access rights for what amount to more-or-less natural monopolies, and I feel that imposes some additional burdens on them. This is nothing more than a money grab, and they couldn't get away with it if they had some real competition.

      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    2. Re:Half and half by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We need a new law that says if a consumer is paying a company for a service, the company is not allowed to advertise to the consumer on that service. Period.

      In some markets, providing a service costs more than advertisers alone or subscribers alone are willing to pay. Thus in markets such as pay television, an arrangement has been reached where advertisers pay a portion and subscribers pay a portion. If you require either advertisement or subscription and never both, the provider will have to raise subscription rates in order to continue to pay its costs. This will cause the majority of subscribers to stop subscribing, leaving too few subscribers. Good luck sustaining a service like cable TV or Hulu Plus once you've made every channel as expensive as, say, HBO.

      What utter tosh. How come Netflix can do it for 7.99 a month without ads?

      The getting money from both ends model needs to die an ugly death...

    3. Re:Half and half by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If those companies weren't making record profits I might believe you. But they are, so I don't.

    4. Re:Half and half by aardvarkjoe · · Score: 1

      What utter tosh. How come Netflix can do it for 7.99 a month without ads?

      Does Netflix give you everything you want? Then just subscribe to that and be done with it, no more complaining needed.

      If not, then the existence of Netflix doesn't really say anything one way or another about whether a similar model works for whatever it is you're interested in.

      --

      How can we continue to believe in a just universe and freedom to eat crackers if we have no ale?
    5. Re:Half and half by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Everyone who makes this argument seriously overestimates the amount of advertising revenue generated on a per subscriber basis.

      Cable TV has ads because subscribers have no other provider to choose that does not also have them. They are counting on people choosing ads they don't want to see over not seeing the content they do want to see. That's $$$ in their pocket.

    6. Re: Half and half by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If there were 5 channels as good as hbo I would happily spend 10 per month on those and nothing else

    7. Re:Half and half by tepples · · Score: 1

      Of course people have a choice: different content.

  17. Thanks AT&T by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Can you imagine the outcry if AT&T offered a level of service where the spied on your phone calls and inserted targeted advertisements? No one can ever again argue that Title 2 isn't necessary. This is the one of the very reasons common carrier laws were written!

    1. Re:Thanks AT&T by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      perhaps they are dim witted, but it may also be a clever business ploy to force title 2 to happen swiftly. It would cause google to play by the same rules too.

  18. DEMAND? Yeah, right. by Dahamma · · Score: 1

    "AT&T does not plan to offer the ultra-fast Internet lines to every home in the market. Rather, he said the company would calculate where demand is strongest and the investment in stringing new cables promised a decent return."

    More like, "the company would calculate where COMPETITION is strongest". I'm pretty sure Kansas City (or any of its neighborhoods) is not even in the top 10 markets for high speed Internet DEMAND.

  19. And thus we have... by Dega704 · · Score: 1

    Just one of the reasons why I have zero desire to pay for broadband from the incumbent providers even if they do offer gigabit fiber. I think the moment needs to be seized and open-access municipal fiber networks built before they monopolize that as well.

  20. Re:It's high time for a new consumer protection la by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well don't pay for satellite TV then. As long as you pay for TV with ads the company will provide TV with ads. (Posting AC due to spending mod points in this thread)

  21. Comcast or AT&T?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm moving to the SF Bay Area in 2 weeks. These are the two providers available to me in this free economy.

    Is one more reliable, faster, etc?

    Employer pays for the service, so price-points are not a huge factor (within reason).

    1. Re:Comcast or AT&T?? by Dracos · · Score: 1

      You accidentally your links, but if one of them was SureWest, go with them.

  22. It's what they don't say by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They (AT&T) don't say that they will not suck up your browsing habits and sell it to 3rd parties. That extra $29 / month only keeps them from flinging ads at you whenever they want. Thanks, but no thanks AT&T! Unfortunately, in my area I have the "choice" of AT&T or Comcrap. Since I have a business line, I went with AT&T U-Verse for phone and internet. They still screw up my bill every month... :-(

  23. Fiber Customer in KC by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    As an existing fiber customer in KC fuck you AT&T.

    The amount of snail mail marketing I have received from AT&T has more than doubled in the past few months.. Stop wasting your money, I have an ISP (I don't fully trust Google but much more than other options) that I will be keeping for the foreseeable future that treats me as a customer not just a profit point.

    AT&T, Time Warner and Comcast please die, thank you.

  24. Do you think they asked by Kohath · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "Should we still do this, even if 0.5% of our customers might use a workaround?" Or is the answer so obvious that no one bothered to bring it up at all?

    1. Re:Do you think they asked by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      "Should we still do this, even if 0.5% of our customers might use a workaround?" Or is the answer so obvious that no one bothered to bring it up at all?

      This is a megacorp we are talking about. When you sign up for their service you probably have to sign some document that states (in micro-boilerplate) you are not going to try and get around their snooping. And if they even think you might be, the extra fee is added automatically. Doubtless with some kind of arbitration clause so you can't challenge them in court.

  25. adblock by speedlaw · · Score: 1

    How will they send me ads ? I block everything, mostly because of malware served by ad....

  26. Finally, the Devil is revealed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So the corporations who resist net neutrality want to launch their own ad services and have an option to limit the effectiveness of their new competition like Google, Yahoo, Facebook and the whole fucking machine brokered ad industry. Get off our spanking new toys at our lawns they say to the senior advertisers of the 'net. A series of dick moves on the night of the free Internet is coming, along the suits for fair competition.

  27. Porn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Porn, Asian Porn, pron, Pr0n, Game of Thrones.

    AT&T, now that I have given you all the needed search terms can I get a discount?

  28. Reverse incentivizing by OldSport · · Score: 1

    Many if not most people I know probably don't care *that* much about their browsing data being collected (the "I'm not doing anything wrong so I have nothing to hide" crowd). I think a good section of the population will just say "cheap? Sign me up!". AT&T probably stands to make much more from advertising than from the $30/month added fee, so they want to drive people to the advertising-based model to the greatest extent possible. The more expensive option is simply a disincentive for people -- they see a higher price and are forced to ask if their privacy is actually worth $30 a month extra, and many people will say no.

    AT&T wins either way, unless the competing ISPs (I have to suppress a laugh when writing "competing ISPs" at all, much less using the plural form) can offer completely private service at a competitive price.

  29. Re:Comcast or AT&T?? -- try sonic.net by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Welcome to the Bay Area! (wait'll you see the rents!)
        Before plunking down a contract with Comcast or AT&T, check into Sonic.net. If they cover your neighborhood, then go with their fusion system. Great people, superb service. Been their customer for well over a decade.

  30. Re:Comcast or AT&T?? -- try sonic.net by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Thanks, I'll be sure to check it.

    Speaking of rent, I just rented. It's about 4x my current rent! But I was told I'll be OK with overtime pay. Wow!

  31. For targeted advertising? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How are they planning on delivering that? Through injecting ads in your traffic, email spam or letterbox spam? They don't have an ad network like Google.

    With the trend of more and more https traffic, how do they intend on sniffing that?

    Easy... block port 443.

  32. Fortunately... by grasshoppa · · Score: 1

    ...we're assholes.

    And by that, I mean we're the types to run a process in the background which randomly "clicks" on ads and otherwise generates browser "noise" during our downtime.

    Sign me up for the 70 a month, suckers!

    --
    Mod me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!
    1. Re:Fortunately... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Besides the solo click-fraud here (which won't amount to much since it's just you mostly instead of 100's of thousands of zombie machines) -- why don't we see more hacktivist type bots which do click-fraud at a massive scale or do we just not hear about it?

      I think a big problem with the web today is that ads are too cheap (for shame google!). If ads were 10x the price they are now, we'd see much higher quality ones.

  33. It Works for Facebook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    and how many there care about privacy at all, from the grand population? All these social sites save these same people 0 dollars, yet they still do it, and do it some more!

    Howzitgo?ohyea! God Damn, I said, GOD DAMN, the pusher man.

  34. America is so fucked by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Im am so thankful I dont live in America - there isnt one single honourable practice going on in the whole country. Not to say that where I live is much better but at least theres some cynicism to people here - everyone isnt trying to fuck everyone else (and themselves) over all the time. Hopefully it wont be long until it all collapses.

    1. Re: America is so fucked by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wish I could argue with this, but it's true. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of hapoiness have all but been replaced with greed, greed, and the pursuit of greed. That any of this has been permitted to go to the lengths it has is proof enough that we are really on a bad path. I don't want to see my country fall to pieces, but it sure feels inevitable at this point. :/

  35. A tough call but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Um yeah, I'm gonna take my chance with this guy.."

  36. VPNs cost less then 30 USD a month by Karmashock · · Score: 1

    if you wanted to opt out of being tracked, it would be cheaper to get an anonymizing VPN and run all your trackable traffic through that.

    I've seen some VPNs as cheap as 5 USD a month.

    --
    I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
    1. Re:VPNs cost less then 30 USD a month by itzly · · Score: 1

      I've seen some VPNs as cheap as 5 USD a month.

      They can be so cheap because they sell your data.

    2. Re:VPNs cost less then 30 USD a month by mrbester · · Score: 1

      That still saves you $25 a month.

      --
      "Wait. Something's happening. It's opening up! My God, it's full of apricots!"
    3. Re:VPNs cost less then 30 USD a month by CaTfiSh · · Score: 1

      You could always just use VyprVPN, that way only the FBI would have your information.

    4. Re:VPNs cost less then 30 USD a month by Karmashock · · Score: 0

      Unlikely. The expenses for such services are negligible. We only pay the costs we do because we lack competition in the marketplace which allows monopolists to charge whatever they like. VPNs enjoy no monopolies and so are subject to market forces which drive costs down.

      People so ignorant of our society and economy that they have yet to grasp even the most rudimentary concept such as that old invisible hand do not understand that nearly every problem you have with any company is the result of a lack of competition.

      Go into any situation where everyone selling knows that the customer can pick someone else and the prices crash, the quality sours, and the quantity meets demand. When these things stop happening it is because somewhere along the line the fundamentals are getting fucked with... and when you fuck with the fundamentals they fuck you back.

      --
      I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
    5. Re:VPNs cost less then 30 USD a month by Karmashock · · Score: 1

      It's twice as expensive as some other options.

      --
      I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
  37. Kansas City Made a Huge Mistake by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

    You see what happened by allowing competition? They got two competing gigabit services. Uh, oh - unintended consequences.

    Most good governments maintain and regulate the monopoly and reassure us that nobody needs or wants gigabit. Gigabit is too much for people - they could get hurt with that much data. Only people who are doing bad things need that much data.

    And now one of them offers a bad deal. This will just create customer confusion - who can be expected to understand that spying on you is a bad thing? No typical consumer will be able to rationally weigh the pros and cons.

    Hopefully the State steps in, returns Kansas City to a safe monopoly, and gets those reckless data rates back under control while imposing net neutrality rules to forbid unsafe traffic management practices (like the risky so-called 'settlement-free peering' scheme) and hopefully sets some allowable content rules.

    Market forces are dangerous, and this just shows that, once again.

    --
    My God, it's Full of Source!
    OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    1. Re:Kansas City Made a Huge Mistake by acoustix · · Score: 1

      What you did there - I see it.

      --
      "A plan fiendishly clever in its intricacies"- Homer Simpson
  38. Re:DEMAND? Yeah, right. by reagan9000 · · Score: 1

    It's easy to see where they'll improve their offering, since demand is strongest wherever there's competition, full stop.

  39. $70/mo? Well F*ck me. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's downright reasonable in Canada, for anything above 90's era dialup. Please someone save us from the rape-mongers up here.

  40. Delay by tepples · · Score: 1

    How come Netflix can do it for 7.99 a month without ads?

    Because publishers charge a higher royalty for recent series. I'm under the impression that apart from Netflix's own original series, there is a delay of months before a new series is made available on Netflix.

    1. Re:Delay by unrtst · · Score: 1

      How come Netflix can do it for 7.99 a month without ads?

      Because publishers charge a higher royalty for recent series. I'm under the impression that apart from Netflix's own original series, there is a delay of months before a new series is made available on Netflix.

      Let's see.... who owns Hulu? Twenty-First Century FOX, Walk Disney Co, and NBCUniversal (owned by Comcast). Gee, wonder how they're able to get series faster?

      Who owns Netflix? Publicly traded Netflix does, and it was started by two guys (Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings).

      I'm not saying any of them is perfect or anything like that, but comparing Hulu to other services like Netflix or Amazon Instant Video etc is just not possible. There's a significant problem regarding media distribution rights and licensing, and it just keeps getting worse. Companies have tried to setup DVD players and stream that and got shut down; There's the recent place that had an individual antenna for each subscriber and the streamed OTA (over the air) digital TV, and got shut down; Netflix would love to have loads more shows and movies, as would Amazon I'm sure, and as would lots of companies, but the various media companies keep that from happening.

      IMO, hulu, as it currently exists, is only allowed to live because it reduces piracy and keeps the likes of Netflix at bay (makes them look bad.... skim some of that money for themselves). The various players and point to Hulu and say, "see, if it was viable then this would be doing better and offering all shows for free and 100% ad supported, or vice-versa and 100% pay supported".

      In addition to all that, Comcast was one of the companies with the biggest Netflix conflicts (network stuff), and yet they own a part of Hulu... how is that fair competition?

  41. Re:It's high time for a new consumer protection la by adisakp · · Score: 1

    FUCKING ENOUGH WITH THE ADS ALREADY.

    Slightly off-topic but this is exactly how I feel watching the Premium Hulu Plus that I pay a monthly subscription for :-( I'd pay a bit more even for ad free.

  42. Cut the cord by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just say no to being manipulated. Cut the cord. If you say "but I can't because..." Then realize how deeply and perfectly you've been controlled.

  43. Double Jeopardy! by tepples · · Score: 1

    ATT is acting like a monopoly that needs to be broken up by the courts.

    What is "Double Jeopardy!"?

    I thought AT&T was already broken up three decades ago for monopoly abuse.

    1. Re:Double Jeopardy! by FlyHelicopters · · Score: 2

      That company no longer exists...

      AT&T today is actually the old SouthWestern Bell, turned Cingular, that bought AT&T...

      It is a messy web. :)

    2. Re:Double Jeopardy! by Zordak · · Score: 1

      Double Jeopardy only applies to criminal law.

      --

      Today's Sesame Street was brought to you by the number e.
    3. Re:Double Jeopardy! by jareth-0205 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      ATT is acting like a monopoly that needs to be broken up by the courts.

      What is "Double Jeopardy!"?

      I thought AT&T was already broken up three decades ago for monopoly abuse.

      By your logic, if I get convicted of murder once, I can then go around murderin' again as much as I want once I'm released from prison.

      It is possible to be convicted of the same crime again if you repeat it...

    4. Re:Double Jeopardy! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What is "Double Jeopardy!"?

      Here's a wikipedia article on the subject

      I thought AT&T was already broken up three decades ago for monopoly abuse.

      Indeed, and there appears to be a strong sentiment in favour of them being broken up again.

    5. Re:Double Jeopardy! by tepples · · Score: 1

      By your logic, if I get convicted of murder once, I can then go around murderin' again as much as I want once I'm released from prison.

      Who are Tommy Lee Jones, Ashley Judd, and Bruce Greenwood?

    6. Re:Double Jeopardy! by Trailer+Trash · · Score: 1

      ATT is acting like a monopoly that needs to be broken up by the courts.

      What is "Double Jeopardy!"?

      I thought AT&T was already broken up three decades ago for monopoly abuse.

      They were, this is not the same AT&T. It basically died and Southwestern Bell bought the name. You can find more about it here:

      http://www.teletruth.org/Histo...

    7. Re:Double Jeopardy! by mysidia · · Score: 2

      I thought AT&T was already broken up three decades ago for monopoly abuse.

      No... A different entity by the same name was broken up three decades ago, this is The New AT&T.

      One of the entities that was split off went and gradually bought up companies that had been broken off and re-assembled a new ginormous monopoly.

      And committing new monopoly abuses --- not vertical integration, but anticompetitive behavior, such as this latest stunt against Google.

  44. Re:DEMAND? Yeah, right. by Dahamma · · Score: 1

    No, not full stop.

    My parents live in a town that (due to some experiments by various utilities/ISPs) has *4* decent Internet access solutions. Much more competition than average, but demand is no higher than anywhere else, and less than many. Prices and performance aren't even that much better (since not surprisingly the way most "competing utilities" price is to unofficially agree not to undercut each other).

  45. How much does it cost by fred911 · · Score: 1

    To have my packets routed around the beam splitters that they have provided the NSA with since at least 2006?

    --
    09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B - D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
  46. Predatory investment by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If T were choosing where to invest in fiber based on where they will make the most money, they would go where Google ain't.
    That would serve both the customer and profit.
    This would also move us closer to a nationwide fiber buildout.

    Choosing to invest where Google is means there will share the customer pool with Google.
    This will make both providers less profitable.
    It appears T is choosing how to invest primarily to drive out competition, not to make money.
    They are using their investment dollars to lower the odds of a national fiber buildout.

    That seems a text book definition of the bad thing in predatory pricing?
    This battle of the big dogs is starting to look more and more like railroads in the 1890's.
    The result was not pretty and required regs to sort it out.

    If regs are T's ultimate goal, then this move is quite clever.
    Regs would put T and G on a more level playing field.
    It is a field that T is well versed in.
    But I suspect G will figure out the new rules a bit quicker than T expects.

    Life would be better for all concerned if T just decided to do a city where G isn't.
    That is the way healthy competition should work.

    And what's with this pay to not be monitored stuff?
    With a competitive ISP market, no ISP would do this for fear of their customers jumping ship to move to another ISP.
    The threat of monitoring, plus a VPN, plus crazy bandwidth should provide the incentive and means for a nice competitive ISP market.
    Net neutrality should prevent both T and G from hindering this.
    I would not expect T or G to get too crazy with this monitoring and ad targeting stuff.
    Overuse will guarantee the success of a competitive ISP market running over their service.

  47. "Subsidized by what, you ask?" by l3v1 · · Score: 1

    Only one comment I can think of: outrageous prices (still, and again) combined with outrageous terms.

    Regards,

    a European broadband user.

    --
    I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I can think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do.
    1. Re:"Subsidized by what, you ask?" by tippen · · Score: 1

      Only one comment I can think of: outrageous prices (still, and again) combined with outrageous terms.

      Regards,

      a European broadband user.

      And how much are you paying for your gigabit internet service?

    2. Re:"Subsidized by what, you ask?" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...and goodness me, how will you choose between all those plans? I mean, picking one of three different plans from all those providers... Phew, that could take some time and effort. Hopefully someone will come up with a comparison website that does all that thinking for you ;-)

      Right now, in my village I can get fibre to the cabinet from at least half a dozen different companies, and may be getting fibre to the door soon too. Since I don't want to spend as much as half what AT&T is charging, I'm sticking with 20MB DSL, which I can get from literally dozens of providers for ~$15/month or less.

  48. Re:an option for privacy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    the "more privacy" option is still as private as google.

    LOOOOL. The only reason google enters into any business is if there is consumer information it can collect and do whatever it wants with it, not just advertising.

  49. Re:It's high time for a new consumer protection la by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Haha, stupid people still pay for cable channels which have ads and they buy TV-sets which also show ads themselves and send your watching history to anyone who pays the most. You can't seriously think that they politicians give up the "campaign support" they get from these media companies?

  50. math s simple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    $29 / month savings *12 ~= $350
    One time pay of ~30 / year for private internet access VPN

    $320 in pocket.
    Suck d!ck AT&T ...

    1. Re:math s simple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And they MITM you and get all your data anyways.

      if you think they are not going to grab everything then you are insane. They are just grabbing all the decrypted crap from the Fed's box.

  51. In Kansas City by John.Banister · · Score: 1

    At the evil ISP monopoly conspiracy meetings, I have to imagine that ATT will get as big a head slap as Verizon might have for suing the FCC into its Title II declaration. Now when companies say "our merger will be fine for those customers," two sets of gigabit providers in Kansas City will be the perfect counterexample.

  52. Re:It's high time for a new consumer protection la by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Netflix original programming and Comcast on Demand show more and more programming being produced without the space for "ads". When you factor in how many of the ads (USA) currently are for Comcast/Xfinity and DirectTV (advertising mostly something people already have to the people watching the bloody ad), its clear the ad spots must not be selling, and the delivery companies are sticking in crap to fill the time left in for ads by the programming and directors. Net effect is that I watch programs on demand in order to avoid the ads.

  53. RIPA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In the UK there is a law, the "Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act", or RIPA, which basically makes the monitoring, interception or modification of communications between two entities by a third party to be illegal... unless of course the third party has government permission to do so, or in the case of certain business related actions [for example, your employer is entitled to monitor your web and email activity when you are using their web and email access...].

    If something similar existed in the US, it would basically make it illegal for any company to intercept electronic communications between two parties for commercial gain. It effectively outlaws things like "advert hijacking" where your ISP dynamically removes adverts from web pages you browse to replace them with it's own, as well as advert insertion, such as that covered in the recent story of Samsung TVs in Australia...

    Obviously laws only get passed in the US if there is a major corporate sponsor behind them, or if you can get enough public outcry... Might be worth raising with i.e. the EFF...

  54. Growing Pains (Växtvärk.x264) by OneRealSmartCookie · · Score: 1

    I don't know which is more enticing, the $30/month landline phone plan or the 1TB virtual hard drive. Am I really willing to give up recording 3 extra TV channels if it means one of them can be HBO? With a 1 gigabit internet connection should I be concerned about filling my cloud drive in... 2 hours and 15 minutes?

    It's not that more people should be technologically savvy enough to get a pre-paid mobile, set up a server, or delve into the not-so-underground world of pirated media. Those are cheap hacky solutions teenagers throw together because they're poor and because the spark of curiosity still invigorates them. We're adults, we've spent decades building up our purchasing habits and we'll never stop paying for phones that plug into the wall. $150/month is worth it (considering our adult-sized paychecks) to avoid having to tinker with another media center setup that won't synch with the tracker's RSS feed because the new scene release group insists on including an umlaut in the file names. The disappointment is that there is no mainstream option that comes anywhere close to competing with the hacks that teenagers set up in their free time.

    You can YouTube and Spotify, Netflix and Prime, Hulu and Pander all that you want (though Google uses Vudu) and even with Skype and Hangouts both going on all the phones, tablets, and cloud connected laundry machines in your home, your online experience isn't going to be much different from any other 50-100 megabit internet connection. It's frustrating that we're reliant on the people selling digital phone service to dictate when the internet is ready to accommodate growth.

  55. Re:an option for privacy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Pay $10 a month for a proxy and wrap all your traffic as TLS?

  56. Set up your own VPN by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just set up your own VPN and/or proxy. I've been playing with an installation on AWS; it's easy enough to set up, following various guides on the Internet. I haven't run it seriously yet, but I expect the costs to be around $15/month.

    The advantage is that you know exactly what is installed on the other end of the VPN, because you control it.

  57. With a GB connection, VPN on the router = privacy by TrentTheThief · · Score: 1

    With a GB connection, what the hell? Add a decent VPN service to the router and let ATT whistle for your browsing habits.

    So much bullshitting around whining about who can see what you browse to. Get a clue.

  58. Hulu Plus is worth less than zero by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hulu Plus is losing customers like me because of their incessant advertising.

    When I bought my Tivo it came bundled with 6 months of Hulu Plus. I suspended the Hulu Plus account after 2 weeks because their advertising was so disproportionate to the product they deliver that it wasn't worthwhile even when my part of the bill was zero.

    I don't torrent or anything like that. They just have too many ads for a streaming service.

  59. More proof we need heavy regulation... by Lumpy · · Score: 1

    AT&T is proving that they and all other ISP's are scumbags that need heavy regulation to keep them from acting like complete assholes.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    1. Re:More proof we need heavy regulation... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      regulation wont stop att... they just need to be shut down.

      Theyve proven again and again and again that they are not to be trusted.

    2. Re:More proof we need heavy regulation... by dave420 · · Score: 2

      Don't confuse the ISPs you know of with all ISPs - there are plenty which offer great service for a reasonable price, and who don't snoop. Finding one in the US might be a bit trickier than in other places, but they still exist.

    3. Re:More proof we need heavy regulation... by Lumpy · · Score: 1

      But they are less evil than Comcast and Time Warner... Soooo all three needs to be disbanded and the executives sent to "survivor" island where they are not the top of the food chain.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  60. As a KC resident & AT$T subscriber by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    all i can say is fuck you ATT... i cant get rid of you bastards fast enough.

  61. How is this "matching"? by sabbede · · Score: 1
    That would suggest AT&T is matching the service and price. But AT&T is charging $29/month more, so it's hardly matching or even offering a competitive product.

    And how much is snooping on all your activity actually worth? Is it $30 or less, or is it $70 or more? If the latter, and AT&T wants people to use their lines instead of google's, perhaps they should be offering it for free.

  62. This needs to be illegal ... by gstoddart · · Score: 2

    These idiots need to get deemed as common carriers who aren't entitled to track what we do in order to make money off targeted advertising.

    That AT&T should be able to hold your privacy ransom is appalling, and definitely means they have far too much power in this equation.

    In any sane country with sane privacy laws, this would be illegal ... but for some reason corporate entitlement seems to be inviolate.

    It really is time to start bringing this to them ... if AT&T wants to sell our privacy, maybe the act of working for AT&T means you don't get any and the world starts releasing your personal information?

    It's time corporations stopped calling all the shots. Or the rest of the world might have to start taking our own shots.

    Of course, I bet even if you paid the monthly extortion fee to not see the ads, they'll still track you for the analytics. This is insane.

    Assholes.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    1. Re:This needs to be illegal ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It is illegal in Brazil! Reading this kind of news makes me feel better about living in this shitty country.

  63. You think AWS isn't sniffed? by Overzeetop · · Score: 1

    You're so cute!

    --
    Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
  64. Dear AT&T... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    FUCK YOU.

    1. Re:Dear AT&T... by LessThanObvious · · Score: 1

      Seriously, agreed. How about they charge me $100 for a line that has privacy or $70 for a line without. Then I can use the savings to ship them a box of dog shit twice a month.

  65. Tracking search terms? How? by acoustix · · Score: 1

    Aren't most major search sites using SSL now? How would AT&T be able to track search terms if the traffic is encrypted?

    --
    "A plan fiendishly clever in its intricacies"- Homer Simpson
  66. Agree, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...you appear to have signed in from Facebook. Facebook's privacy invasion is WAY worse than this. Can't we just ban this sort of auto-opt-in stuff?

  67. Bull by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Years ago, I got a lot of telemarketing calls, so I bought a Caller ID box from the phone company and it started showing me who people were.

    A couple years down the road, It started showing "Anonymous". It turns out companies could hide who they were, but for a few bucks more per month, I could prevent that.

    A couple more years down the road and it started showing "Unknown". It turns out companies could make that happen too if they paid the phone company more money. But if I paid a few more bucks per month, I could prevent it.

    A couple more years down the road and it started showing invalid numbers. But, you guessed it, I can prevent that if I pay more money.

    The point I am trying to make is just because you pay to have your privacy secure, does not mean it will stay that way. You should have it all the time. Taken ownership of your privacy and provide all false information, and claim ownership of all data and material related to you.

  68. Re:It's high time for a new consumer protection la by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That was the whole point of cable TV when it first came out (pay for a subscription and get no ads). I see it didn't stay that way very long and no one thought strongly enough about it to drop the "service".

  69. Re: an option for privacy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sorry, but this proxy, found on the internet has to install over the internet. Remember it is not just one program to allow you to access the internet. But a series of programs, that are trackable. Even when you do the VPN, utilizing a live disk, so no information is kept. Remember what is required to operate a computer, and make it aware.

  70. Re:It's high time for a new consumer protection la by smprather · · Score: 1

    So I suppose product placement in movies should be forbidden as well? Don't give Republicans ammo to whine about over-regulation. Let's just break up companies that provide data delivery and ISP services, into those two components.

  71. fuck 'em by AndyKron · · Score: 1

    fuck AT&T all to hell

  72. Screw AT&T by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    > ... the company would calculate where demand is strongest and the investment in stringing new cables promised a decent return.

    That's why the internet needs to be made into a utility. I live in a rural area, and I'm sure that we'd still be off the power grid if it weren't for government intrusion. In fact, look at all the national wireless carrier's maps of SW Iowa, and NW Missouri. We don't meet the wireless carrier's criteria for any investment in our area. Sometimes, government intrusion is good. If companies still got to operate the way they wanted, Los Angeles would have smog so thick you could cut it. The government intrusion with the clean air act was needed to keep those greedy companies on the straight and narrow.

    The internet, itself, wouldn't be where it is today if it had been "closed" in the beginning. Its open nature got it to be where it is today.

  73. Randite anti-jocks by marxmarv · · Score: 2

    and your silly "competition" pablum. What we need is municipal utilities, which we would of course have if AT&T weren't at the vanguard of fighting against their existence.

    --
    /. -- the Free Republic of technology.
  74. Yet, for some reason... by marxmarv · · Score: 1

    with the same obvious set of interests and the same payoffs for roughly the same people, the two-party system must never be questioned.

    Seriously, you wannabe jocks are getting tiresome. He who struts shall be knocked flat on his face and humiliated until he cries. It works for everyone, if you can hold them in place long enough.

    --
    /. -- the Free Republic of technology.
    1. Re:Yet, for some reason... by Wycliffe · · Score: 1

      with the same obvious set of interests and the same payoffs for roughly the same people, the two-party system must never be questioned.

      Yes, the two party system operates the same way as does a host of other areas.
      Basically, people can recognize monopolies but tend to ignore duopolies. There
      are probably more duopolies in existance today than monopolies because they
      can pretend to be competive if they share and price fix with a partner in crime.
      The republicrats are obviously one of the biggest and most entrenched and alot
      of people have figured it out but not enough see it or care yet to make much of
      a difference so instead they argue over technicalities like whether to spend
      $100 million or $110 million on some pet project when everything pretty much
      stays status quo.

  75. Re:an option for privacy by praxis · · Score: 1

    the "more privacy" option is still as private as google.

    LOOOOL. The only reason google enters into any business is if there is consumer information it can collect and do whatever it wants with it, not just advertising.

    Yes, that's true. What's also true is that AT&T is asking to do even more than that unless you pay them $30 more per month.

  76. Tin Foil Hat Time by nehumanuscrede · · Score: 2

    I thought of something funny yesterday, that later began to bug me a bit.

    Imagine if your typical VPN company is really a subsidiary owned by the big players ( Comcast, AT&T, Verizon, Google, The Government ).

    So they scaremonger the more technically savvy population into getting VPN services to prevent data spying while the VPN services are, in reality, owned ( or have $$$$ agreements with ) by the very ones we're trying to avoid in the first place.

    They get your $$ for their basic service.
    They get your $$ again when you sign up for the VPN service.
    They STILL get your data anyway. :|

    I know that AT&T's mobile service is likely proxying my HTTP traffic already, agreements or not. ( My IP changes depending on if I'm using HTTP or HTTPS. )

    So does Comcast. ( NMAP port 80 shows open even if I disconnect my equipment from the internet.* Sniffer confirms a 3-way handshake still taking place with something that isn't me answering to my assigned IP address with no local equipment connected or even plugged in. )

    *Is what started my looking at this a bit closer since my ACL's block everything on the Wan side of things and was driving me nuts thinking I had borked my config somehow.

    1. Re:Tin Foil Hat Time by postbigbang · · Score: 1

      You have a lot of rational paranoia here. Tin foil or no, I often wonder if some of the VPN services are just honeypots.

      There's always spinning up free instances in Azure or another host like AWS, and trying your hand there; at least the circuits would be somewhat secure. But if you're doing something at a monitored host and its record list is tracked, your IP access would at least be tracked. You might need several of these in a tawdry, highly latent chain to make things tough. That said, for some that need this, diligence might pay off. For others using such circuits for evil, I wish them failure.

      --
      ---- Teach Peace. It's Cheaper Than War.
  77. Meanwhile, out here in the sticks... by Nate+B. · · Score: 1

    AT&T takes our money and builds infrastructure in customer rich locations like KCMO, DFW, etc. Even here in the county seat where I work all AT&T can offer is DSL, or at least they did at one time. Out of town? Nevermind, all you'll get is dial tone. AT&T has done ZERO infrastructure upgrades in our rural area within the past 30 years ago or so. It is really inexcusable, IMO. But then it is becoming a self-fulfilling prophesy as fewer customers are keeping their landline phone which has prompted AT&T to run FUD ads trying to scare people into buying a landline for "peace of mind". Despicable.

    The local WISP thus has no competition and is now quite slow to update anything. 512 kbps is all they can muster out to where I live and during daylight hours it's generally much slower. I guess I should be glad I no longer rely on dialup any more.

    --

    "Insanity is doing the same thing over again expecting a different result."