14 DAY TRIAL // Verizon Wireless is bending to the will of the FCC when it comes to throttling with the speeds of 4G users with unlimited data plans.
The company has been throttling 3G users who have unlimited data plans since 2011. Back in July, Verizon announced its plans to do the same for 4G users, a move that brought the ire of the FCC.
Even though the company only messed up with people’s connections when they were connected to congested cell sites, the FCC deemed the practice as unacceptable.
“Verizon is committed to providing its customers with an unparalleled mobile network experience. At a time of ever-increasing mobile broadband data usage, we not only take pride in the way we manage our network resources, but also take seriously our responsibility to deliver exceptional mobile service to every customer,” the company states.
The telco continues saying that the ongoing dialogue from the past few months concerning network optimization is greatly valued, which is why it has decided not to move forward with the implementation of the plan to throttle the speeds of some 4G LTE customers with unlimited plans.
“Exceptional network service will always be our priority, and we remain committed to working closely with industry stakeholders to manage broadband issues so that American consumers get the world-class mobile service they expect and value,” Verizon said, failing to mention that the FCC was breathing down its neck.
No changes for 3G users
The 3G customers with unlimited data plans are likely going to continue getting messed with when the cell sites are congested, since Verizon doesn’t plan on any changes to this extent.
The practice isn’t limited to Verizon only. In fact, most major carriers do the same when their cell sites get too congested. The FCC and Tom Wheeler in particular has expressed displeasure with the move, publicly criticizing Verizon since this was the company to announce plans this time around.
When Verizon came with the excuse of “everyone’s doing the same thing” Wheeler’s attitude turned sour fast. “’All the kids do it’ was never something that worked for me when I was growing up,” Wheeler said at the time. He admitted that Verizon wasn’t the only one to get a letter from the FCC on this topic, but rather all carriers.
The FCC boss was happy with Verizon’s decision, however, considering that this is a responsible action that could set the trend for other companies as well.