AT&T Cracks Down On Streaming Some Services

AT&T Wireless has changed its Terms of Service to prohibit fixed devices from streaming over its wireless network, like viewing video over the Slingbox. Public Knowledge picked it up, noting a change to the following paragraph (in bold): “This means, by way of example only, that checking email, surfing the Internet, downloading legally acquired songs, and/or visiting corporate intranets is permitted, but downloading movies using P2P file sharing services, customer initiated redirection of television or other video or audio signals via any technology from a fixed location to a mobile device, web broadcasting, and/or for the operation of servers, telemetry devices and/or Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition devices is prohibited.”

PK suggests this is in response to an incident where a man was charged international roaming rates to view a football match even though he was in Miami, resulting in a $28,000 bill. AT&T’s terms seem to exclude anything which keeps the device always connected to the network and sending or receiving data. This could be a problem for Sling’s planned iPhone service.

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