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Verizon’s good unlimited data plan is now three bad unlimited plans

C

Couleurs

Member
https://www.theverge.com/platform/a...ted-data-plan-video-throttling-net-neutrality

Cheapest plan limits video to 480p, and there’s no way to watch 1080p on a phone anymore

Well, now we know why Verizon Wireless was “testing” reduced Netflix streaming speeds last month. Today the biggest US carrier announced that its existing unlimited data plan is being divided into three new options: Go Unlimited (starting at $75 for a single line), Beyond Unlimited ($85 for first line), and Business Unlimited. Unlike the relatively straightforward unlimited plan that Verizon surprised customers with in February, these new monthly plans are chock-full of fine print and caveats. And in a move sure to anger net neutrality advocates, the regular “Go Unlimited” plan throttles all smartphone video streaming to 480p / DVD-quality. The new plans go into effect beginning tomorrow, August 23rd, so this change is happening fast. Existing postpaid customers can keep their current plan, but some things will change even for them.
Click to expand...

More info at the link. Guess we shouldn't be too surprised that a telecom does something shitty under a Republican FCC.
 
D

Doikor

Member
Damn American data plans are crazy. Here in Finland you get 4G (100Mb/s) without any data caps for 30€/month. If you are ok with data caps you can get the same with 4GB cap for 6€/month (1.5€/GB after that)
 
T

TyrantII

Member
I quit VZW 8 years ago and never looked back. Probably should do the same.

With MVNOs and googlefi, there's plenty of other options.
 
E

Easy_D

never left the stone age
This is Obama's fault you know. The environment regulations meant that the internet miners couldn't mine enough internet. This is the result.
 
R

RumblingRosco

Member
Left Verizon for T-Mobile 3 years ago. Left T-Mobile for Cricket Wireless 2 years and 9 months ago. Super happy with it at less than $35 a month for 4 GB of decent speeds.
 
C

conpfreak

Member
I'm out, Verizon. They couldn't even wait long to do this. They JUST introduced their Unlimited plan and they've managed to take away benefits.
 
IISANDERII

IISANDERII

Member
Doikor said:
Damn American data plans are crazy. Here in Finland you get 4G (100Mb/s) without any data caps for 30€/month. If you are ok with data caps you can get the same with 4GB cap for 6€/month (1.5€/GB after that)
Click to expand...
Damn. Are the telcos heavily subsidized?
 
Caayn

Caayn

Member
sunshine and gasoline said:
Fuck you Verizon. If Google Fiber was near me I would ditch Fios in a heartbeat.
Click to expand...
I'd never ever choose Google to be my ISP. But that's me.
Doikor said:
Damn American data plans are crazy. Here in Finland you get 4G (100Mb/s) without any data caps for 30€/month. If you are ok with data caps you can get the same with 4GB cap for 6€/month (1.5€/GB after that)
Click to expand...
Same here in the Netherlands. You can get 5GB a day at max speed which drops to 384kb/s after you hit 5GB that day for €30,- a month.
 
P

Par Score

Member
IISANDERII said:
Damn. Are the telcos heavily subsidized?
Click to expand...

Nope, there's just an incredible amount of competition.

When a couple of dozen companies are competing for your business, and switching between them has practically zero cost, the free market actually kinda sorta works the way it's modelled.
 
G

g11

Member
IISANDERII said:
Damn. Are the telcos heavily subsidized?
Click to expand...

Doubtful, we're just getting bled like pigs.


Up until about last Nov. I was paying Verizon $95+ for 400 minutes talk and unlimited data, and no texting. They are thieves, but AT&T is just as bad and their service is dog shit to boot.
 
D

dofry

That's "Dr." dofry to you.
Par Score said:
Nope, there's just an incredible amount of competition.

When a couple of dozen companies are competing for your business, and switching between them has practically zero cost, the free market actually kinda sorta works the way it's modelled.
Click to expand...

So true. Most of the companies are everywhere.

But, in Japan even though all the companies are practically everywhere, everyone still pays too much. My cheap (Bic camera sim) 6GB per month phone data plan is 2300yen/20€. Too much after Finnish pricing. Can't Live stream that much or watch Netflix but it's ok for regular use.

I can't imagine paying 80+ for a data plan. 80!!!!
 
A

Arttemis

Member
So net neutrality is dead. They're picking and choosing content types to throttle. Fuck this administration's FCC chairman.
 
shira

shira

Member
480p?

Can you even get animated gifs?
charm_facepalm.gif
 
M

Media

Member
Damn, I still have my legacy 505 number, I wonder if I could keep it if I switched. Had this number for 14 years
 
F

Futureman

Member
Par Score said:
Nope, there's just an incredible amount of competition.

When a couple of dozen companies are competing for your business, and switching between them has practically zero cost, the free market actually kinda sorta works the way it's modelled.
Click to expand...

Yeah but we get to tip! Ha!

Seriously though if you are a mobile provider in the US you need to have good coverage all across a massive country. I assume it's harder than providing good coverage to a smaller European country.

Also it evens out in other ways... Isn't gas a lot more expensive in Europe for example?
 
J

JudgeN

Member
Holy shit, I left tmobile because there network couldn't stream twitch over 480p without constant sutter so I moved to Verizon cause I knew there network could handle it. Now they putting back in the 480p dumpster for $20 more a month.

What's the point of having a $800 smartphone if I can't fucking use it to the fullest.
 
O

Orayn

Member
SpecX said:
Glad I switched to tmobile last week. Verizon can go to hell with their anti consumer practices.
Click to expand...

T-Mobile does the same thing with mobile video on their new unlimited plans, though they let you buy a one day pass of full quality.
 
M

Mirk

Member
This is crazy to me. I have unlimited with sprint and between the 3 lines use around 100gb to 150gb a month. I don't know how people live with 4gb. Granted it costs 150$ a month :( ... but there really is no cap or slow down :D.
 
F

flkraven

Member
I can't believe net neutrality of all things is the thing dying a quiet death. Not enough outrage because of all the Trump noise. Our kids will be amazed how we used to have limitless internet. I'll never get Verizon and I hope others opt to boycott too.
 
M

Media

Member
PhoncipleBone said:
As someone who has gone from Sprint to Cingular to Verizon to AT&T over the last 17 years and kept the same number, yes.
Click to expand...

Awesome thanks. I've had Verizon for so long because it's usually the only signal I can get living in the boonies. Moving to Austin soon so now I'll have options.
 
T

TheExodu5

Banned
Doikor said:
Damn American data plans are crazy. Here in Finland you get 4G (100Mb/s) without any data caps for 30€/month. If you are ok with data caps you can get the same with 4GB cap for 6€/month (1.5€/GB after that)
Click to expand...

Still better than Canadian Data plans. 5GB is $105/mo here. 10GB is $145/mo.
 
K

kmfdmpig

Member
An important part of the article is not included in the OP. AT+T, Sprint and (to a lesser extent T-Mobile) each limit what we can do with "unlimited" data.

Verizon isn't alone. All major carriers are implementing data restrictions.
This move on Verizon's part was perhaps inevitable since nearly all of its chief rivals have already put in place some arbitrary restrictions on video quality or overall data speeds. Here's second-place carrier

AT&T: the cheapest unlimited plan similar limits you to 480p. And at all times, the fastest data speeds you can get are 3Mbps, which is... slow.

The baseline T-Mobile One unlimited data plan also throttles video to 480p; you've got to pay an extra $10 per month for the ”Plus" plan to get HD video. But unlike Verizon and AT&T, the company doesn't restrict everyday data speeds for apps and web browsing; you'll just face the risk of slower speeds after crossing 32GB in a month if the network is congested. That's generous compared to T-Mobile's competitors.


Sprint offers full HD streaming as part of its unlimited plan. Woohoo! But the company enforces stricter network management in other areas. Music streaming is limited to 1.5Mbps, for example, and you can't exceed 8Mbps when playing games on your phone. Boo. And now with Verizon having joined the throttled video ranks, it might only be a matter of time before Sprint follows the crowd.
 
O

Oxn

Member
conpfreak said:
I'm out, Verizon. They couldn't even wait long to do this. They JUST introduced their Unlimited plan and they've managed to take away benefits.
Click to expand...

The idea was to pull you into their network.

Im on a family plan of 5, using the old verizon plan of 10gigs. I keep trying to get my sisters to move to tmobile but they wont budge.
 
D

dofry

That's "Dr." dofry to you.
Can I ask how and why is this possible?

The existing networks are already there.
New ones being built are paid back by users fairly quickly.
There are monopoly rules. (I assume differs from your state to state)

Why?
 
T

tbm24

Member
So let me get this straight. I'm paying $110 a month for the Unlimited plan they rolled out earlier this ear, and they are STILL going to throttle my video to 720p?
 
V

Vengal

Member
dofry said:
Can I ask how and why is this possible?

The existing networks are already there.
New ones being built are paid back by users fairly quickly.
There are monopoly rules. (I assume differs from your state to state)

Why?
Click to expand...

They're experts at avoiding those monopoly rules.
 
J

JMTHEFOX

Member
Thank god me and my mom are still with T-Mobile, even though we aren't in an unlimited plan currently. Their service is like the best in my honest opinion thanks to their generous restrictions and fair LTE speeds.

Verizon Wireless can fuck right off.
 
A

Astral/H3X

Member
dofry said:
Can I ask how and why is this possible?

The existing networks are already there.
New ones being built are paid back by users fairly quickly.
There are monopoly rules. (I assume differs from your state to state)

Why?
Click to expand...

Because "humans" are just things with which you fuel the more important People, by which of course I mean corporations.
 
R

RustyNails

Member
dofry said:
Can I ask how and why is this possible?

The existing networks are already there.
New ones being built are paid back by users fairly quickly.
There are monopoly rules. (I assume differs from your state to state)

Why?
Click to expand...
Because Verizon does not have enough low band spectrum and they sat out the FCC auction. As they bring more unlimited plans, their networks are getting clogged.
 
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