AT&T Fined $100 Million For Misleading Customers About Unlimited Data

The Federal Communications Commission confirmed today via a news release that AT&T will be fined a record $100 million for misleading customers about unlimited data plans on mobile, AT&T was found to have slowed speeds for customers that had unlimited data plans and it didn’t adequately notify those customers prior to throttling their speeds. The FCC is of the view that AT&T has violated a rule requiring transparency for broadband data practices.

A spokesman for the agency pointed out that this amount is the largest fine that has ever been proposed by the FCC while AT&T maintains that it slowed down those customers in order to keep its service up to the market and reiterates that it adequately notified them about it.

On the other hand an AT&T spokesman said that the carrier is going to “vigorously dispute the FCC’s assertions,” adding that the agency has already identified this practice “as a legitimate and reasonable way” to manage network resources that are beneficial for all customers.

The agency said that it has received “thousands” of complaints about AT&T’s unlimited data plans since 2011 with many claiming that they were misled or even surprised by AT&T’s policy of intentionally throttling their speeds.

It remains to be seen though if AT&T ultimately decides to see this through and try to come out of it without having to pay up, or if it just ends up settling with the FCC, only time will tell.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Cellphones
Tags: AT&T