AT&T and Verizon Facing FCC Scrutiny After Exempting Their Own Apps From Data Caps

Both AT&T and Verizon offer apps and streaming services that don't count against the data cap they impose on customers, a practice that the United States Federal Communications Commission does not approve of.

The FCC this week sent letters (via The Verge) to both Verizon and AT&T, claiming that the data cap exemptions, called "zero rating," raise net neutrality concerns and could impact consumers and competition.

attvzw
AT&T and Verizon each offer programs that allow content providers to pay a fee to be exempted from customer data caps, programs that they themselves take advantage of with their own apps and services.

DirecTV Now, AT&T's recently introduced streaming television service, does not use data when streamed on the AT&T network, for example. DirecTV Now pays for the data, but as an AT&T subsidiary, AT&T is just paying itself. Verizon, meanwhile, exempts its own Go90 streaming service from using data on the Verizon network and does not pay fees to do so.

The FCC first sent a warning to AT&T in early November, but was not pleased with the response it received from the company. In this week's letter, the FCC says that it has come to the "preliminary" conclusion that the Sponsored Data program inhibits competition, harms consumers, and violates Open Internet rules. It asks AT&T to answer a series of questions about its Sponsored Data practices.

We find that those responses fail to alleviate the serious concerns expressed in our November 9 letter regarding the potential anti-competitive impacts of a wholesale Sponsored Data program for zero-rated mobile video services. Indeed, your submission tends to confirm our initial view that the Sponsored Data program strongly favors AT&T's own video offerings while unreasonably discriminating against unaffiliated edge providers and limiting their ability to offer competing video services to AT&T's broadband subscribers on a level playing field.

A similar letter sent to Verizon expresses concern over the "FreeBee Data 360" program and says it has the potential to "hinder competition and harm consumers" because Verizon does not need to pay to participate in the Sponsored Data program when it exempts its own app, but competing content providers do.

The position that the participation of Go90 in FreeBee Data 360 is the same as that of third parties, however, fails to take account of the notably different financial impact on unaffiliated edge providers. For example, while there is no cash cost on a consolidated basis for Verizon to zero-rate its own affiliated edge service, an unaffiliated edge provider's FreeBee Data 360 payment to Verizon is a true cash cost that could be significant.

AT&T and Verizon have responded to the letters sent by the FCC in statements given to the media. AT&T says the government should not take away a service that's saving customers money, while Verizon says its practices are good for consumers, non-discriminatory, and consistent with the rules.

The two carriers have been given a December 15 deadline to respond to the FCC's concerns.

Tags: AT&T, FCC, Verizon

Top Rated Comments

mrbrown Avatar
95 months ago
So, lemme get this straight... the FCC, acting as "consumer protection" in theory, is telling AT&T and Verizon that NOT charging me for services hurts me.

Oooookayyyyyy...

Thanks FCC!
Not charging for their own services but charging for competitors does hurt you, whether you realize it or not.
Score: 66 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Born Again Avatar
95 months ago
So, lemme get this straight... the FCC, acting as "consumer protection" in theory, is telling AT&T and Verizon that NOT charging me for services hurts me.

Oooookayyyyyy...

Thanks FCC!
see you fell for it. it's deceptive.
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Doogh2004 Avatar
95 months ago
So, lemme get this straight... the FCC, acting as "consumer protection" in theory, is telling AT&T and Verizon that NOT charging me for services hurts me.

Oooookayyyyyy...

Thanks FCC!
See, here's the issue... They're spinning it to be positive.

Imagine if you had the choice between: A) Twice as much data
B) Free data through their services

Essentially, they're forcing you to sacrifice part of your data so that others that use DirectTV can have more data.

Now, imagine if they stop raising data caps... They're essentially forcing Netflix to be more expensive to use than DirectTV.

It's dangerous and anti-competitive.

If other utilities did this... Like water or electricity... The utility companies would be able to decide which businesses succeed and fail.
[doublepost=1480715361][/doublepost]
Today it's using apps without data caps and tomorrow it's "decency" and banning porn. The FCC should have zero jurisdiction over the internet. This is one thing where I really was bummed that Obama broke that seal by encouraging the FCC to claim jurisdiction. So their first act, getting rid of something customers actually like. Lol
No, you don't understand net neutrality.

It means ATT cannot make certain services cheaper than others. What if they make their news site cheap and other news sites super expensive? It prevents ATT from controlling competition. It doesn't give the FCC to regulate the contents of the internet.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
oneMadRssn Avatar
95 months ago
bundling cell phone, landline, cable, etc., would be illegal.
Bundling is bad for consumers. That's a good example you gave. When Comcast forces you to buy cable tv and a landline phone, when you only want an internet connection, you end up paying more for services you never use.

The UK has had unbundling regulations, which resulted in lower costs for consumers, and their cost of internet and cell phone service are significantly lower than in the US.

Just like cable companies bundle channels together, and consumers always want a-la-carte channels, aka unbundled.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
doasis23 Avatar
95 months ago
So, lemme get this straight... the FCC, acting as "consumer protection" in theory, is telling AT&T and Verizon that NOT charging me for services hurts me.

Oooookayyyyyy...

Thanks FCC!
If you don't understand why this is bad for consumers here's a good article explaining why by the Verge.
http://www.theverge.com/2016/11/29/13774648/fcc-att-zero-rating-directv-net-neutrality-vs-tmobile
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mascots Avatar
95 months ago
Nope. Offering me a discount on one service has no direct effect on the costs of other services.

By this same logic, bundling cell phone, landline, cable, etc., would be illegal.
That's not how any of this works.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
iOS 17 Passkey With Apple ACCOUNT Feature

'Apple ID' Expected to Change to 'Apple Account' Starting With iOS 18

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:13 am PDT by
MacRumors was first to report that Apple was planning to rebrand "Apple ID" to "Apple Account" across its software platforms and websites like iCloud.com as early as this year, and now Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has corroborated this change. A mockup of the new Apple Account branding In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new "Apple Account" branding will start to be used later this...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

iOS 17.4.1 Update for iPhone is Imminent

Monday March 18, 2024 5:27 am PDT by
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...
M3 iPad Feature 3

New iPads Likely to Begin Shipping in April

Monday March 18, 2024 9:52 am PDT by
Apple's new iPad Pro models with OLED displays will likely begin shipping to customers in April, according to information shared today by Ross Young, CEO of display industry research firm Display Supply Chain Consultants. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also said the new iPad Pro models might not ship until "deeper" into April in his Power On newsletter on Sunday:I've repeatedly said that new...