AT&T to penalize users that tether phones?

Att_horiz_color_lrgUh oh. I really hope this isn’t true but I just heard from Matt Whitlock that AT&T might be putting the hammer down on customers that tether their phones for use as notebook modems. Over at Techlore, Matt has all of the details on what he’s heard direct from an AT&T rep; or not so direct as it’s actually conversation he overheard, but that doesn’t change the potential impact here.

Apparently, sometime this month AT&T will start to monitor for "tether-ees" that are on the lower priced data plans. Standard data plans for unlimited modem / device data start at $59.99 a month; lower priced plans like the iPhone plan start at $19.99, so the company will be looking to stop that $40 a month shortfall. This is the first report I’ve heard on this topic, so let’s wait and see what happens; if anyone can confirm or deny in the meantime, please do. I’m all for the cellular companies to turn a fair profit for their services, but I still have a problem when I can’t use the full functionality of a device. If the lower priced plans are indeed unlimited for the consumer, what difference does it make which device I use with it?

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