In October of 2011 AT&T announced their plants to start throttling heavy users of data on their networks who were still on the unlimited data plans of the past. It didn’t seem to be as much of an issue back then but the shit has really hit the fan recently. Users are complaining that AT&T is cutting them off way way too early. When they made the announcement they claimed that only the top 5% of users would be affected. People had the conception that these would be big data hog type people. The reality of the situation though is people that use less than even 2GB of data a month are starting to get throttled.

Back in the day when you got a smartphone on AT&T, or most networks, you were given as much data as you could want for $30. It was said that you would be grandfathered in to this and keep it forever. After they got rid of the unlimited option and went to tiered data plans the same $30 now for instance gets you 3GB. People who had locked in the unlimited were considered the lucky dogs that got in early and now could rejoice in being able to use as much as they wanted. The downside was that you were locked into that company forever because if you switched to Verizon for instance you would lose your unlimited data. Verizon customers are in the same boat as they got rid of unlimited this past July. Unlimited data is still available on Sprint, for the time being, but their network is so dam slow that I don’t really consider them in the game.

Unlimited data is a thing of the past, this mythical beast now. The companies now want you to sign up for one of the tiered plans, that is the wave of the present. The higher ups at AT&T figured how can we get rid of all these pesky unlimited data plans that we got sitting around there. Somebody came up with the brilliant idea of changing what the word unlimited means. We can just slow the people down so they get so frustrated that it makes better sense to get on our new tiered plans. T-Mobile was actually the first people that came up with this new unlimited definition. On T-Mobile you get a certain amount of 4G speed data, 2 or 5 GB for example, and then they slow you down. They still are able to call their plans unlimited and then add the explanation in small speed. It’s not really lying per se as you can still use it as much as you want it’s just a whole lot more difficult. This is probably where AT&T got their idea I’m thinking, so they did benefit from their failed attempt at buying T-Mobile.

AT&T customers are not excited about this news. As anyone who reads on here knows, I hate FoxNews with a passion but Shep Smith had a pretty good rant the other day about this very issue. Its right to feel tricked and fooled, but you have to say it was a good run. It’s also not like these people can leave AT&T and go to say Verizon and still get unlimited data, that’s not an option. The main thing to worry about is going to Sprint, but the simple fact of how shitty Sprint’s data network makes AT&T not scared about that option at all. It seems that AT&T customers are going to have to just take it on the chin and switched to a tiered plan. For most people this is going to actually work out better. Most people that have unlimited for $30 uses less than 3GB which is what they’re going to get for the same $30 so they most likely wouldn’t even notice. The big-time data users are the ones getting screwed but they have no real option to go to so they’re just going to have to take it on the chin. Basically there is no real way to watch movies and Netflix on a phone on a regular basis anymore. As our phones are getting more and more advanced and can do more and more things, it’s going to be kinda pointless because it’s going to cost so so much.

I actually sell phones to pay my bills for an indirect agent for AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. I have a dealer line with both unlimited data and unlimited hotspot on Verizon. I routinely use over 20GB a month in data. I do this because I use my hotspot and download torrents on it. My laptop running off 4G LTE on Verizon is actually faster than Comcast home Wi-Fi. Fortunately for me Verizon has announced no plans to throttle users as long as they’re on the 4G network. Verizon does throttle unlimited people on their 3G network, but have said it is only during times of heavy network congestion rather than once you reach a certain limit. This seems to me to be a much more practical implementation of the policy than the one AT&T has decided to go with. The question is though how can you tell yourself when the network is heavily congested. These companies can basically just do it however they want. I do envision though at some point Verizon going to make a similar decision on the 4G network as well. I’m going to do my thing until that happens, but I don’t expect the ride to last forever.

It all basically comes down to etiquette. People need to read more Emily fucking Post these days. It’s not right for a handful of people, such as myself, to clog up the network downloading movies slowing down and clogging up the experience for the majority of people. I understand that we were lucky and locked in that unlimited data, but times changed. When the companies came up with these plans in their shortsightedness they did not understand how things would play out in the future. Smartphones were figured to be the exception but now they are becoming the rule. I sell 90 year old people smartphones these days and while it’s excruciating getting them acclimated to using them, they do become acclimated and grow  to love them just as much as we do. Smartphones are great and you have to be a stubborn fool to not realize it. The networks couldn’t possibly grow in size at the same speed.

So yes it sucks that your unlimited data is not going to last forever. The game has changed. You can either sit there and whine and bitch about how the company lied to you and is changing the words that you signed after the fact, but it’s just how it has to be. We live in a society these days, a society of smartphone users. Part of living in a society and being a civilized human being is realizing that the god of the masses comes before the good of the individual. I myself am probably in not only the top 5% of data users but the top 0.5% of data users. I know my day is coming and my unlimited data and hotspot on Verizon 4G will be gone one day. Until that day I’m going to live it up and enjoy, but when that day comes I’ll take it on the chin and change the way I do things. The only constant in this world is change.