AT&T Goes After Tethering On JailBroken Phones

One does not have to be a genius to realize how greedy some wireless carriers can be. In case of AT&T, we already know the company is determined to slow down data hogs. It is hoping to merge with T-Mobile as soon as possible to solve some of the challenges that it faces. In the meantime, AT&T will have to reduce the load on its network by slowing down unlimited plan customers that don’t understand nothing is unlimited.

AT&T had this to say about the steps it is taking to deal with its network issues:

Starting October 1, smartphone customers with unlimited data plans may experience reduced speeds once their usage in a billing cycle reaches the level that puts them among the top 5 percent of heaviest data users.� These customers can still use unlimited data and their speeds will be restored with the start of the next billing cycle. 

Things are worse than they seem though. According to multiple sources, AT&T has been going after customers who are jailbreaking their phones to tether or create hotspots. 9to5 Mac reports that AT&T could move “tetherers” on jailbroken phones to a tethering plan ($45 a month) automatically. AT&T has confirmed that it will not tolerate people getting away with tethering without paying. Notified customers can:

1) Stop tethering and keep their current plan (including grandfathered unlimited plan)

2) Proactively call AT&T or visit our stores and move to the required tethering plan

3) Do nothing and we’ll go ahead and add the tethering plan on their behalf — after the dated noted in their customer notification

This is not the most customer-friendly move AT&T could have taken. Moving folks to a tethering plan without their consent is a dangerous approach. AT&T obviously made a big mistake by selling unlimited plans and then putting restrictions on it. At the same time, the company does owe its other customers to reduce congestion in its wireless network. Could AT&T face lawsuits over its latest moves? That remains to be seen.

Your thoughts: is AT&T justified for its latest moves against jailbreakers?