Travel Technology - Woman sues AT&T over $5,000 data bill

From http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/030309-user-sues-att.html


User sues AT&T over $5,000 Web bill

User incurred charge after exceeding 5GB monthly bandwidth cap

By Brad Reed , Network World , 03/03/2009

An Oklahoma woman is suing AT&T after the company allegedly billed her more than $5,000 for going over her monthly data cap.

The suit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for Western Oklahoma, claims that Billie Parks was misled by both AT&T and retailer Radio Shack when she purchased a netbook computer in December 2008. Essentially, the suit claims that Parks was able to purchase the computer from Radio Shack at a discounted price of $99.99 in exchange for signing a two-year AT&T DataConnect contract that would hook the device onto AT&T's network for $60 per month. However, the suit alleges that neither AT&T nor RadioShack gave Parks sufficient details about how much she would be charged for exceeding her monthly 5GB bandwidth cap

From the article...

An AT&T spokesman has told Web site Ars Technica that the company "goes to considerable lengths to inform consumers of the limits of these plans" and that the company displays "plan usage limits and overage rates on our collateral, [and] terms and conditions on att.com."

I'd be curious if AT&T subscribers on FT agree with that assertion. I completely stay away from the data function on our AT&T wireless just so I don't end up in the same situation as the plaintiff.

I have a separate AT&T wireless broadband dongle (so it's harder to stay away from the data part :)). I did know about the 5Gb limit (although I don't recall if it was really from reading about it here first, or from them) but I had thought that they just shut one off for the remainder of the billing period if use reaches 5Gb.

So, no, I don't find it transparent. I'd know how to find the info if I wanted, but it's not clearly spelled out and easy to find, IMO.

Cheers.

It is time for the operators to do the right thing and either get rid of this cap, or make the default setting on all accounts that the limit = the limit. Go over it and you will be disconnected for the rest of the month.

I bet they collect millions a month from corporate users who just pay the bill and ignore it.

It is time for the operators to do the right thing and either get rid of this cap, or make the default setting on all accounts that the limit = the limit. Go over it and you will be disconnected for the rest of the month.

I bet they collect millions a month from corporate users who just pay the bill and ignore it.

Or give you a readily available running total like they do with your minutes.

article in the post: some person had sent or received over 6500 messages on her cell in a month. was covered by the $30 monthly fee.

Or give you a readily available running total like they do with your minutes.

They actually do with the broadband account. Just as I can check my mobile phone minutes, I can check kB of usage for the broadband plan.

Cheers.

So who knows of a good AT&T plan?

AT&T needs to come out with a good unlimited plan. ie. one that has unlimited mobile to mobile, unlimited texts, unlimited nights and weekends, unlimited AT&T calls, unlimited long distance, unlimited messaging and unlimited data.

A plan like both Sprint and Boost have right now.

AT&T usually stays in the front of plan offerings but right now everyone has an unlimited data plan that is a better deal than AT&T.

What is up with them?

AT&T usually stays in the front of plan offerings but right now everyone has an unlimited data plan that is a better deal than AT&T.

What is up with them?

If you find that other companies are offering better deals, it is probably worth your while to go with one of those better plans.

Cheers.

AT&T needs to come out with a good unlimited plan. ie. one that has unlimited mobile to mobile, unlimited texts, unlimited nights and weekends, unlimited AT&T calls, unlimited long distance, unlimited messaging and unlimited data.

A plan like both Sprint and Boost have right now.

AT&T isn't hurting enough to warrant a deal like that. Sprint and Boost are - AT&T has the iPhone which brings in enough new customers.

If you find that other companies are offering better deals, it is probably worth your while to go with one of those better plans.

Cheers.
I would love to, except that in my small town the A carrier is local and the competitors do not provide local numbers. That means everyone would have to call long distance to reach me.

I have an AT&T aircard and did see the 5GB limit in the fine print of my contract. In no way did they attempt to point it out. It's typically positioned as unlimited and I, and probably most others, would assume this until reading the contract details.

Mine was a corporate purchase, so maybe in-store purchases get more disclosure.

I would love to, except that in my small town the A carrier is local and the competitors do not provide local numbers. That means everyone would have to call long distance to reach me.

One option off the top of my head is to get a prepaid account with a local number then port it to your company of choice.

I have an AT&T aircard and did see the 5GB limit in the fine print of my contract. In no way did they attempt to point it out.

When I went to the AT&T site and looked at their data plans, they never say Unlimited. There is a column that says "included data" 5gb.

Not saying that it was the woman's fault in this case, but I feel that most of the time the overages are due to people being morons.

AT&T should also just stop the connection at 5gb and notify you. On the other hand, they let you go over your voice minutes without notification and people tend to understand that. I think they should also provide rollover data like they do with voice to help mitigate that.

In this case the suit alleges that she was unaware of how much it would cost to go over the 5gb data. Back on the AT&T site, next to the Included Data column is a Additional Data column showing $0.00048/KB.

Back on the AT&T site, next to the Included Data column is a Additional Data column showing $0.00048/KB.

Admitting my own ignorance, that doesn't mean a lot to me, which is one reason I avoid it. I'm sure AT&T is far too busy to include examples of what that could total with certain kinds of usage. ;)

Admitting my own ignorance, that doesn't mean a lot to me, which is one reason I avoid it. I'm sure AT&T is far too busy to include examples of what that could total with certain kinds of usage. ;)

I know, it doesn't mean a lot to me either, but the suit alleges that AT&T made it "impossible for the average consumer [to] determine what those additional charges would be".

I found the info in a couple seconds and it was display right on the same page as the price and 5gb cap.

When I went to the AT&T site and looked at their data plans, they never say Unlimited.

Then you didn't look very carefully - it's right there on the front page - they clearly offer a "$35/month PDA plan [$30/month with a voice plan]" with "unlimited data"

$30/Month AT&T PDA Plan w/Unlimited Data (http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/cell-phone-plans/pda-personal-plans.jsp)

I know, I have this plan and it says "unlimited data" on the website and it says "unlimited data" on my bill.

You have to dig deep into their T&Cs to find the 5GB/month max data limitation.

It is deceptive advertising pure and simple IMHO so I have zero moral issues with using my phone/PDA plan to wirelessly tether to my laptop from time to time.

When I was comparing plans for my phone, there was a standalone plan and a plan that allowed tethering. The non tethered plan was billed as unlimited while the tethered plan was specifically limited to 5gb. Presumably they aren't as worried about giving unlimited data out when you can't run your PC or entire network through it.

AT&T is not alone in this, either. Before AT&T I had Verizon Wireless, which also had a 5Gb cap.

I have never exceeded the cap. Most months, even with very heavy blackberry usage and some occasional laptop tethering, I will not be above 750mb. This is largely because when I am at home or in a hotel, I use WiFi. I reserve tethering for airports and when I am on-site with a customer.

Then you didn't look very carefully - it's right there on the front page - they clearly offer a "$35/month PDA plan [$30/month with a voice plan]" with "unlimited data"...

The article says that she bought a computer, probably the $100 acer netbook deal, which would be on a different plan than PDAs. The computer LaptopConnect plans clearly show the 5gb limit.

The article says that she bought a computer, probably the $100 acer netbook deal, which would be on a different plan than PDAs. The computer LaptopConnect plans clearly show the 5gb limit.

My point was to AT&T's deceptive advertising in general.

That they may have 'cleaned' up the laptop language but still try to deceive customers with the other plans doesn't let them off the hook morally IMHO.

My point was to AT&T's deceptive advertising in general.

That they may have 'cleaned' up the laptop language but still try to deceive customers with the other plans doesn't let them off the hook morally IMHO.

Your specific example was shot down, and not it is deceptive "in general." I have the same plan that she has (netbook with a broadband dongle). Nowhere was I told that anything was unlimited. While the data may not be easy to find, they are there, and nothing is contradictory. Where is the part where they try to deceive customers, specifically, that puts them "on the hook, morally?"

Cheers.

Your specific example was shot down

Umm, actually no.

When I went to the AT&T site and looked at their data plans, they never say Unlimited.

Tummy said, "data plans" [generic] not 'laptop plans' or 'laptop connect' and PDA is in fact a "data plan[s]" which AT&T advertise as "unlimited" when in fact there is a 5GB/month data limit.

Where is the part where they try to deceive customers, specifically, that puts them "on the hook, morally?"

Follow my link.

Res Ipsa Loquitur

Tummy said, "data plans" [generic] not 'laptop plans' or 'laptop connect' and PDA is in fact a "data plan[s]".



Follow my link.



Thread about netbook and laptop plan. Link not relevant to topic of thread. But thanks :)

Then telling someone that they "didn't look carefully" in this context? Uncool.

Cheers.

Who cares WHAT they said? Even if they send you a large flyer with the limit, how many people will actually be able to determine how much data is in a 5GB bundle?

Fact of the matter is, AT&T (and Verizon and Sprint) have a limit hidden away on their "unlimited plans", and the number mentioned means nothing to probably 90% of their customers.

There is no early warning system, and there is no way to cap yourself.

In fact, when you look at the recent $23,000 Slingbox episode, AT&T send the guy a text message - to his aircard number, once he hit a $5000 spending limit, which of course is not always capable of displaying SMS messages. In this day and age it is pathetic that they even allowed that kind of traffic to go on so long. Credit card companies have perfect fraud detection, it is time for mobile operators to implement them too.

Carriers know these limitations, but they pick their own bottom line over the satisfaction of their customers.

It is the same with international roaming rates - the deliberately make the whole thing as confusing as possible, hiding behind kb, stupid terms like "$0.00048/KB" and putting effort into tricking customers.

Who cares WHAT they said? Even if they send you a large flyer with the limit, how many people will actually be able to determine how much data is in a 5GB bundle?

Fact of the matter is, AT&T (and Verizon and Sprint) have a limit hidden away on their "unlimited plans", and the number mentioned means nothing to probably 90% of their customers.

There is no early warning system, and there is no way to cap yourself.

In fact, when you look at the recent $23,000 Slingbox episode, AT&T send the guy a text message - to his aircard number, once he hit a $5000 spending limit, which of course is not always capable of displaying SMS messages. In this day and age it is pathetic that they even allowed that kind of traffic to go on so long. Credit card companies have perfect fraud detection, it is time for mobile operators to implement them too.

Carriers know these limitations, but they pick their own bottom line over the satisfaction of their customers.

It is the same with international roaming rates - the deliberately make the whole thing as confusing as possible, hiding behind kb, stupid terms like "$0.00048/KB" and putting effort into tricking customers.

Spot on. ^

Who cares WHAT they said? Even if they send you a large flyer with the limit, how many people will actually be able to determine how much data is in a 5GB bundle?

Fact of the matter is, AT&T (and Verizon and Sprint) have a limit hidden away on their "unlimited plans", and the number mentioned means nothing to probably 90% of their customers.

There is no early warning system, and there is no way to cap yourself.


As mentioned earlier, it should cap at the limit. Agreed.

I also think that the limit is irrelevant to probably 90% of the customers as they would come nowhere near 5Gb (and I don't consider FT folks to be typical customers). It is also very east (AT&T, at least) to see what one has used on a pretty much real-time basis (same is true of phone minutes).

I do agree that things are not straightforward, but they're hardly as mysterious as some might make it out to be.

To put it another way- short of hard-capping at the limit, what else could/should they do to alert their customers of the rules of the program to which they agreed when they signed up? How could it be made more apparent and easier?

Cheers.

Who cares WHAT they said? Even if they send you a large flyer with the limit, how many people will actually be able to determine how much data is in a 5GB bundle?

Fact of the matter is, AT&T (and Verizon and Sprint) have a limit hidden away on their "unlimited plans", and the number mentioned means nothing to probably 90% of their customers.

There is no early warning system, and there is no way to cap yourself.

In fact, when you look at the recent $23,000 Slingbox episode, AT&T send the guy a text message - to his aircard number, once he hit a $5000 spending limit, which of course is not always capable of displaying SMS messages. In this day and age it is pathetic that they even allowed that kind of traffic to go on so long. Credit card companies have perfect fraud detection, it is time for mobile operators to implement them too.

Carriers know these limitations, but they pick their own bottom line over the satisfaction of their customers.

It is the same with international roaming rates - the deliberately make the whole thing as confusing as possible, hiding behind kb, stupid terms like "$0.00048/KB" and putting effort into tricking customers.

I agree with this but don’t you think that AT&T and others actually count on people going over their limit in the same way many manufacturers count on a large percentage of rebates going unclaimed?

I agree with this but don’t you think that AT&T and others actually count on people going over their limit in the same way many manufacturers count on a large percentage of rebates going unclaimed?

I think they do with phone and text plans. It's not that hard there. I'm not so sure about the data plans. While it is surely possible to get there, 5GB/month is a lot of data. I'm sure they don't mind, but I'd be hard-pressed to say that they expect in the same way as voice plans.

Cheers.

I use to manage an at&t account for a large organization whos needs constantly changed. Keeping track of minutes, data plans, ect was a major aspect of my job and required a lot of time.

As for the 5gb cap, 5gb is unlimted non-high banwhich use data. In other words you can browse an an unlimted number of website and send/recieve an unlimited number of emails and you'll stay under 5gb. The 5gb cap stops people from using the air card for large downloaded.

I have an at&t air card, it is very handy to use on the train or anywhere else. I have never hit 5gb or anywhere near it. that said if i need to download a large unpdate or a file of some kind i do it off of my cable modem.

I agree with this but don’t you think that AT&T and others actually count on people going over their limit in the same way many manufacturers count on a large percentage of rebates going unclaimed?

Of course they do - but the numbers don't line up.

$59 gets you 5GB of data, but once you go over that, it shoots up in such an insane amount that it is clear they are counting on people making mistakes.

In an ideal (and honest) world, $59 would get you 5GB. Go over it, and they charge another $59 for the next 5GB.

It does not make sense to put a price tag of $59 on 5GB of data, but to charge $2457 for the next 5GB.

I use to manage an at&t account for a large organization whos needs constantly changed. Keeping track of minutes, data plans, ect was a major aspect of my job and required a lot of time.

As for the 5gb cap, 5gb is unlimted non-high banwhich use data. In other words you can browse an an unlimted number of website and send/recieve an unlimited number of emails and you'll stay under 5gb. The 5gb cap stops people from using the air card for large downloaded.

I have an at&t air card, it is very handy to use on the train or anywhere else. I have never hit 5gb or anywhere near it. that said if i need to download a large unpdate or a file of some kind i do it off of my cable modem.

5GB is fairly limited nowadays - I've been stuck in a hotel room for a week and just with my work web and email access I pulled down 3.7GB of data. I receive almost 270MB on email alone every day. I'm not saying 5GB is unfair, I just disagree with the consequences of going over that limit.

5GB is fairly limited nowadays - I've been stuck in a hotel room for a week and just with my work web and email access I pulled down 3.7GB of data. I receive almost 270MB on email alone every day. I'm not saying 5GB is unfair, I just disagree with the consequences of going over that limit.

Agree again.

Completely OT but I just retired my SZ and got a TT.

Incredible machine and an on-board Blu-Ray drive and still under 3 lbs is amazing. I do miss the cardbus PCMCIA slot that would hold my cardbus CF reader flush to the laptop [it made downloading 16 and 32 GB CF cards fast].

The only issue I have is that Sony says that the onboard WWAN SIM port will only work with a Verizon data plan. You know of any hack to get it to work with AT&T?

Agree again.

Completely OT but I just retired my SZ and got a TT.

Incredible machine and an on-board Blu-Ray drive and still under 3 lbs is amazing. I do miss the cardbus PCMCIA slot that would hold my cardbus CF reader flush to the laptop [it made downloading 16 and 32 GB CF cards fast].

The only issue I have is that Sony says that the onboard WWAN SIM port will only work with a Verizon data plan. You know of any hack to get it to work with AT&T?

It has a Gobi dual CDMA/HSDPA card internally so I guess it is just a matter of time till someone manages to enable the HSDPA portion.

It has a Gobi dual CDMA/HSDPA card internally so I guess it is just a matter of time till someone manages to enable the HSDPA portion.

Not the same Sony model, but tnkrgrl modded the Vaio P's Gobi card recently:

http://tnkgrl.wordpress.com/2009/02/12/sony-vaio-p-hsdpa-mod/

Might or might not help.

Getting back on topic, "normal" people have no idea how much a kilobyte is when they surf the web or read email. They know what a minute is, so specifying the cost of extra minutes is reasonable, but $0.00048/KB is as helpful as writing the entire contract in Latin.

Even if this lawsuit doesn't go anywhere, I hope that the media coverage it receives will push the carriers towards making changes. For instance, if the monthly contract is $60, specifying a rate of $12/gig with a 5 gig minimum (at the same $12/gig rate, hence $60) would make sense to most people (I'd hope) and let them predict their cost. Furthermore, just like Skype can display right in their app how many $$$ I have left for Skype-Out, the carriers should easily be able to provide that information "in your face".

It's funny how pre-paid cellphone carriers often display account balance information after each call/message, since they have a vested interest in you buying more time, but regular plans make you hunt down that information somewhere on their website.

Oh yeah, and I'd like a prepaid plan for data service, too.

Not the same Sony model, but tnkrgrl modded the Vaio P's Gobi card recently:

http://tnkgrl.wordpress.com/2009/02/12/sony-vaio-p-hsdpa-mod/

Might or might not help.

Looks like she has the software mod too:

http://forum.pocketables.net/showthread.php?p=16274#post16274

If the machine already has the sim slot, the software hack should be all it needs :)

I think when something says "unlimited" it should be unlimited. If there's a 5gb cap, then it should be called the "5gb plan".

Marketing people love to say stuff like "unlimited" because it sounds like freedom. I also suspect that AT&T worries that if an actual number is given, then people will purposely use 4.99gb a month.

My concern about the five gig barrier causes me to stay far away from it. I don't begrudge ATT an overage fee, but this fee structure is punitive. Additionally, their terms and conditions were written for a different generation of computing. The no streaming rule seems problematic in the age of You Tube, Itunes, Hulu, and even the upgraded CNN, NYTimes, and WSJ websites.

When the 5 gigs came out, they called it a "soft cap." A soft cap seemed to me that first offenders would get a break and warning. Persistent offenders would get in trouble.

What about applying "roll over" to data? The fact that there are many months where I might not use a gig of data should count for something. If I am in a hotel in the middle of no where and decided to watch a show off of Hulu or ITunes or some other legal medium shouldn't push me over when I rarely go close to the limit. I am looking at the moment for a different solution, but coverage in Michigan's Upper Pennisula knocks most of the CDMA providers out of the box.

I have a Cradlepoint router at home -- the MBR 1000. I pay for cable internet at home. Why am I an outlaw plugging my data card into my router if my home internet happens to go down. The terms and conditions clearly prohibit this, but why? Technically, if I plug the modem into my laptop at my kitchen table when my net was down, I violate the TOS. If go to the park across the street from my house and do it at the picnic table, I am ok.

Yesterday I picked up my prepaid t-mobile cell to make a call. Before the call, it told me I was nearing the end of my prepay, I should add more to the account. I never check, when I get the notice I add more money.

There's no reason they can not do the same thing with the data plans, send you a message at 4 GB or 4.5 or whatever if the upper limit if 5 GB.

I don't doubt this woman was never told she had an upper limit, she bought the thing at Radio Shack for $99, and I know the last Radio Shack I was in had horrible help (not saying they all do). Even if they did mention it, I'm sure it was between "Do you need any of these accessories that cost more then the laptop", "there is a 5 gb monthly cap, they charge more after that", "can I interest you in a $500 annual service plan for your $99 netbook?" and she didn't hear it.

ATT and the others need to be more proactive in offering people the ability to know where they are with their plan. Most every bank and credit card company allow you to set up alerts for when you are near a certain balance, when a large transaction comes through, when a bill is due to be paid, etc. They should not have let a brand new account on a $99 computer go to $5,000 and just mail out a bill.

Of course, if she cancels, she probably has to pay for the netbook too :D

In an ideal (and honest) world, $59 would get you 5GB. Go over it, and they charge another $59 for the next 5GB.

It does not make sense to put a price tag of $59 on 5GB of data, but to charge $2457 for the next 5GB.
Priceless......simple to implement, fair for all parties. ^^

article in the post: some person had sent or received over 6500 messages on her cell in a month. was covered by the $30 monthly fee.

I saw an actual TMOBILE bill where some kid used 14000minutes in ONE month and he paid 49.99....using the nights and weekend free, he talked upa storm !!

I saw an actual TMOBILE bill where some kid used 14000minutes in ONE month and he paid 49.99....using the nights and weekend free, he talked upa storm !!

There's a topic to start a thread! What are the most minutes... :D

I think the language is the problem. Many people could get a 2,000 minute voice plan on a cell phone that would cover all they would ever need - but they don't call that "unlimited." They call it a "2,000 minute" plan and are often quite good at clearly saying minutes over 2,000 will cost you $0.XX per minute.

They should have to do the same thing with the data plans. Don't call it an "unlimited" plan if there is a 5gb cap on it. And, don't call the 5gb a "limit" or "cap" unless you plan on shutting off the service after that. If you don't, it's not a "limit" or a "cap" but really just the amount "included" in your plan.

Instead, like the cell voice plans, it should just be a "5gb plan" with "additional data at $0.XX per kb or mb." The additional price per kb or mb should be posted just as clearly as the additional per minute cost when purchasing a voice plan.

So exactly how much traffic is 5GB? What if I'm backing up my files online, I have way over 5GB files. Or what if I download Netflix movies? How many of those will hit 5GB?

There's a topic to start a thread! What are the most minutes... :D

And if you have above, with wifi connection, you can keep your tmo on 24/7 and never go over your minutes.

So exactly how much traffic is 5GB? What if I'm backing up my files online, I have way over 5GB files. Or what if I download Netflix movies? How many of those will hit 5GB?

A lot of normal uses could easily put you over 5GB on a quick connection. Backing up data is the most obvious. If you are backing up your music or you photo collection, which in my case is about 25GB combined, you would have just used up 25GB of bandwidth. A Netflix movie streaming at high quality would put you at about 1GB/movie. Lots of Hulu and YouTube videos, about the same on a minute by minute basis, especially if it is the higher quality video. The bottom line is 5GB is a paltry sum to dish out in todays world.

When the 5 gigs came out, they called it a "soft cap." A soft cap seemed to me that first offenders would get a break and warning. Persistent offenders would get in trouble. I was also told by the sales people that it was a soft cap- that they'd watch you and if you just go over one time, no big deal, but if you did consistently you'd get hit with the fees.

I have a Cradlepoint router at home -- the MBR 1000. I pay for cable internet at home. Why am I an outlaw plugging my data card into my router if my home internet happens to go down.
I have the same router, as discussed in another thread it is my primary internet access for my home office network. I also discussed this with the salespeople before signing up, and I monitored my usage for a week to see where I'd land.

You can check usage on wireless.att.com, but it's a bit of a PITA to log in and check it regularly. Also, they have accuracy disclaimers there:
Important: There are delays in reporting and processing call or data records. It may take up to two to five days for usage on the AT&T wireless network to show up in any Voice & Data Usage category. Additional delays may occur due to technical difficulties.
It also states:
The summary may not include usage within last 72 hours.

A Netflix movie streaming at high quality would put you at about 1GB/movie. Lots of Hulu and YouTube videos, about the same on a minute by minute basis, especially if it is the higher quality video. The bottom line is 5GB is a paltry sum to dish out in todays world.

I agree, but doesn't it seem a little silly to be using your cellular data connection to be downloading HD Netflix movies? Sorta like buying a Smart car and then complaining that it's hard to use as a moving van. Even with 3G I prefer to download movies at home and then transfer them to my iPhone. Or use a WiFi connection.

I agree, but doesn't it seem a little silly to be using your cellular data connection to be downloading HD Netflix movies? Sorta like buying a Smart car and then complaining that it's hard to use as a moving van. Even with 3G I prefer to download movies at home and then transfer them to my iPhone. Or use a WiFi connection.

I know lots of people with no landline, and no cable tv. They do, however, want high speed internet. Their only choice is to go crawling back to the one and only cable tv provider to get high speed internet. To add insult to injury, they usually charge you a premium to get the internet if you do not also have cable tv with them.

So, when the wireless technology gets there, I could see lots of people using a data plan from a major cell carrier as their only means of connecting to the internet.

Why pay the local cable company $45/month to have internet you hookup to a wireless router at home, when instead you could just have a data card built into your laptop and pay $45/month to Verizon or AT&T... except now you can use that connection anywhere and not just sitting within range of your home wifi. The speeds aren't the same, and that's why most people don't do this, but as the wireless speeds increase I think this will become more prevalent.

The assumption being made here is that AT&T or any of the other mobile monopolies want to be fair. IMO there is no intent or attempt to be fair.

With weak regulation and over reaching control of the markets, these companies spend considerable time and effort in writing "gotcha" contracts. How many people have the time and legal understanding to wade through the contracts?

Yeah, I know there are many free marketers who will flame me and say that we have choices. But in reality , there is no choice when there are a few big operators who control the market and have no incentive to change.

The assumption being made here is that AT&T or any of the other mobile monopolies want to be fair. IMO there is no intent or attempt to be fair.

With weak regulation and over reaching control of the markets, these companies spend considerable time and effort in writing "gotcha" contracts. How many people have the time and legal understanding to wade through the contracts?

Yeah, I know there are many free marketers who will flame me and say that we have choices. But in reality , there is no choice when there are a few big operators who control the market and have no incentive to change.

An unlimited data plan from T-Mobile with a 3G card in a laptop is actually unlimited. The fine print says the reserve the right to limit bandwidth for "excessive" users. I've got an unlimited bb plan and have tethered and used quite a bit at times... even on edge. Never had any issues.