NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] AT&T bungles misleading new Internet TOS, with bandwidth caps (and broken links)
AT&T bungles misleading new Internet TOS, with bandwidth caps
(and broken links)
http://j.mp/ezY2ba (AT&T - New Terms of Service)
AT&T has sent out emails to existing Internet customers (seemingly both
consumer and business) announcing their new Terms of Service.
It has handled this in typically clumsy and misleading AT&T fashion.
This important message for some reason bypassed user specified mail
forwarding addresses, and for many users was only visible in the
AT&T/Yahoo Web mail service, if the user happened to look there.
Critical information -- such as mention of the new AT&T bandwidth caps
designed to strangle the use of outside video services like Netflix,
is buried amongst a long list of other bullet points, and only says:
Usage: We've added a link at www.att.com/internet-usage where
customers can go to get information about AT&T's data usage policy
and managing their data usage.
No obvious clue is provided that anything as significant as bandwidth
caps and overage charges has been implemented. Worse, that
"internet-usage" link is currently broken, so readers are unable at
this time (as I type this) to see any of the associated details.
The TOS now also notes that anytime AT&T wants to convert you from DSL
to U-verse, they can do so (even for static IP services) with 30 days
notice and at whatever rates are current for U-verse. Alternative:
disconnection. (I don't know for sure if this clause is new or not.)
This of course forces major changes in equipment at the consumer end,
including potentially existing DSL modem-based firewalls, etc.
All in all, very much the kind of ineptness and manipulation that
we've come to expect from AT&T, especially in its post-SBC
incarnation.
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org
Founder:
- Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org
- Global Coalition for Transparent Internet Performance: http://www.gctip.org
- PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com
Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein
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Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com