FCC Chairman “Troubled” By Verizon’s Plans To Throttle Its Users

According to a report the other day, Verizon had announced that they would soon be throttling the speeds of its Unlimited 4G LTE users. This is apparently part of the carrier’s “network optimization” that would limit the speeds of extremely data-heavy users who might otherwise be clogging up the network.

In a way it makes sense and it does seem fair for everyone else who wasn’t grandfathered into those unlimited plans, but at least one person is not too pleased by it. The FCC’s Chairman, Tom Wheeler, recently penned a letter expressing his displeasure at Verizon’s move, claiming that he is “deeply troubled” by the news.

According to part of the letter written by Wheeler, it reads, “It is disturbing to me that Verizon Wireless would base its “network management” on distinctions among its customers’ data plans, rather than on network architecture or technology.” Wheeler also points out that Verizon could have violated the obligations they undertook when they acquired the C Block spectrum.

As part of the rules, Verizon “may not deny, limit, or restrict the ability of end users to download and utilize applications of their choosing on the C Block networks.” Wheeler has since asked Verizon’s CEO, Dan Mead, to offer his thoughts on the subject promptly. Given that throttling isn’t exactly new, it could be cause of the C Block spectrum purchased by Verizon that could have led to Wheeler’s displeasure. Either way we’ll be looking forward to hearing Verizon’s side of things.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Cellphones
Tags: FCC, Verizon