If you want to merely move the throttling line from 4.7GB to 100GB, then that's a different discussion altogether.
That wasn't the point, but I agree, it would be the next discussion if throttling were allowed.
Prohibiting throttling wholesale would continue to allow very-high-use customers to consume hundreds of gigabytes of data per month. This isn't theoretical, people actually do this. You can tether your desktop computer to your iPhone and cancel your landline internet access. It's nuts.
It was also a major selling point that the carriers charge/charged extra for. The only reason you no longer pay for tethering is due to a condition of the 700 MHz spectrum, of which Verizon licenses. They can not legally charge for this if your device uses this spectrum.
Grandfathering simply means that Verizon/AT&T are nice enough to let you continue on a plan/rate that no longer exists.
Then we need some consumer rights established regarding grandfathered plans. However, it should be noted that many of Verizon's customers are still under contract with an unlimited plan. This is because there are many actions that can occur that extends your contract without a plan change.
No. They do it because most customers on unlimited plans are not really using very much data anyway, so it is profitable to let them stay put.
Then they need to consider the cost of a loud minority.
Some customers, however, are using an excess of data.
As defined by one party.
Verizon is under no contract with these people, so they're free to change the terms of service however they see fit, assuming they notify the user beforehand.
Again, not everyone is out of contract. Though you are right, they could migrate the people who aren't under contract to another plan.
Verizon never promised you this service for life. It promised it for a period of 2 years. Once those two years are over, neither party is under any commitment.
I never said they did.
The FCC's stance on this issue doesn't add any legitimacy. Lets be honest, it's a political organization run by Obama-appointees. Net neutrality is a huge political issue on the left these days, even though few people actually bother to understand what it really means. They leap headfirst into "this isn't fair" and "big companies are bad" types of arguments without even knowing the facts first.
Considering that spectrum is a limited resources, it, like radio, needs to be strongly regulated. Verizon paid to use the spectrum, but that use must be for the good of the community and not just their bottom line.
I don't own stock in Verizon. I don't even currently have service with them. I'm just a regular guy just like the rest of you. I do know enough, however, to be extremely skeptical of giving the government vast powers over an industry that has so-far been working fairly well.
Are we talking about another industry now? This is a group that have been consolidating, restricting consumer rights, and interfering with decreases in the cost of service. And no, offering more for similar prices is not the same as actually lowering the cost.
Take a step back and actually look at the last 7 years of telecom evolution since the iPhone, it is really quite miraculous.
All that in spite of the carriers. Apple had to make exclusively deals just to get access to voicemail improvements.
Now compare that to "common carriers" like rail and landline telephone. Excessive regulation can absolutely be the death of an industry, and our telecom regulations were written in 1934, to give you an idea of how out of date they are.
Rail was one of the most abused utilities of its time. Rockefeller used his control to shake down whole industries. Rail is one of the biggest success stories of regulation. And what about Landline? Without government intervention the Bells and its babies would have never laid wire into rural areas. Again, without regulation the technology would have been limited.
Those are bad examples, especially since anyone, in theory, could have laid wire or tracks. Radio is a better example. Neither you nor I can start a radio station without the approval. Why? There is only so many frequencies to choose from. If anyone could broadcast on any frequency then all we would get is noise. Same goes for wireless telecom. You can only let one group use the frequency in any particular area, else it becomes useless. So the government regulates the use of such spectrum and in exchange you abide by their regulations.
The FCC has every right to get involved.
Watching one movie can hit 4gig of data.
