AT&T clarifies data throttling policy for ‘unlimited’ users

In response to growing customer unrest over its decision to throttle the data speeds of customers on “unlimited” data plans who were among the top five percent of users in their area, AT&T has posted a new support page clarifying its policies. According to the company, customers on unlimited data plans will see their data speeds throttled any time they exceed 3GB of usage for the month; their speeds will return to normal once a new billing cycle begins. “You’ll still be able to use as much data as you want. That won’t change”, the page states. “Only your data throughput speed will change if you use 3GB or more in one billing cycle on a 3G or 4G smartphone or 5GB or more on a 4G LTE smartphone.” Notably, customers on unlimited data plans pay $30/month on AT&T, the same amount the company charges for 3GB of capped data; users on the latter plan have the option of tethering, while customers on unlimited plans do not.