Thursday, January 13, 2011

MetroPCS alleged to be violating net neutrality rules with new LTE plans

Well, it looks like the fine print in MetroPCS' new LTE pricing plans is causing more than just some confusion among MetroPCS customers -- as CNET reports, it's now also drawn the ire of several public interest groups, who allege that the carrier is violating the FCC's new net neutrality rules. For those not familiar with the new plans, they include a $40 plan for unlimited web browsing plus YouTube, and a $50 plan that adds 1GB of "additional data access" that covers things not considered to be "web browsing" by MetoPCS -- Netflix, Skype, etc. That, in effect, creates two different types of "data," and leaves MetroPCS as the only voice deciding what gets included in one plan and not the other. For its part, MetroPCS insists that its "new rate plans comply with the FCC's new rules on mobile open Internet," and that it is simply offering "increased consumer choice" by offering different rate plans.

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