AT&T says what? Now FCC will take on AT&T over P2P clampdown and acct termination

kyppcgeek · #1 (**permalink**) 07-30-2008, 02:14 PM

See this article:

http://gizmodo.com/5031060/att-will-...-their-account

**CozBoogie** · #2 (**permalink**) 07-30-2008, 02:43 PM

Wow (and I don't mean World of Warcraft)! So if I were on AT&T and was doing some heavy downloading (maybe not even exceeding their cap) then I could have my account killed?

I would like to see a definition of "uses that may cause extreme network capacity issues.".

My first impression is that is a bunch of b.s....but I need to think about the bigger picture for a while. And I'm sure it won't be long before other carriers follow suit.

late,
Coz

kyppcgeek · #3 (**permalink**) 07-30-2008, 04:28 PM

Yes Coz.

From the way I read that article the VP says, "Yeah,, use P2P and I'll terminate you. No questions asked."

**CozBoogie** · #4 (**permalink**) 07-30-2008, 05:08 PM

Hmmmmm...how will they determine/define what P2P is exactly?

late,
Coz

tantrum829 · #5 (**permalink**) 07-30-2008, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cozboogie

Hmmmmm...how will they determine/define what P2P is exactly?

late,
Coz

If I read correctly. They currently have no way of verifying if your using a P2P. So in the mean time they will probally measure the amount of data you use then call the customer and someway get him/her to admit there are using P2P. This can cause alot of turnover for them if they get to aggresive with this new tactic but if other companies start to do the same (which some are) then they could have the upper hand.

**bedoig** · #6 (**permalink**) 07-30-2008, 05:25 PM

There have been P2P restrictions (as in, "don't do it") in the TOS of every carrier I've ever signed with. Basically they don't want you to do anything other than check email with your data service. And they'd prefer if you kept that to a minimum as well.

It'll be interesting to see if the wireless carriers can make a legally admissible case for restricting internet access. Especially with Comcast losing it's recent legal battle over restricting P2P access.

**jethro_static** · #7 (**permalink**) 07-30-2008, 05:33 PM

LOL tethering for P2P. Only poor lazy people do that. People that don't wanna work hard to pay another 50 bucks a month for broadband connection. Using the phone as primary internet access. LOL

land2634 · #8 (**permalink**) 07-30-2008, 06:05 PM

AT&T did something similar in my area (San Angelo, TX) about 2 years ago. They were getting ready to move into the area, and even though they didn't have a physical store yet, they were allowing customers to sign up for service on their website. This was when roaming was becoming a big deal, yet you couldn't have more than half of your usage on roaming. Well, as it turns out, it took until just a few months ago for AT&T to finally arrive in town. In the meantime, over the last several years, they sent letters to customers telling them they had a month to find a new carrier. So many customers who were already fed up with Sprint and Alltell (no Verizon Wireless here) were now told that even though AT&T's page said it was home coverage, that indeed it was not. Always seemed pretty crappy to me, especially for the customer base that used PPC/Smartphone devices, as it became more costly to them to move carriers.