rhaps that’s how T-Mobile, the self-described uncarrier, will spin dnesday’s settlement with the FCC. The nation’s third-largest wireless network will pay $48 million total including customer benefits, education donations, a fine as part of an agreement reached with the FCC.
At issue was how T-Mobile throttled the connection for customers who were in the top three percent of data usage. Customers were unaware in advance that they were having their connections intentionally slowed down.
— gere (@gere) October 19, 2016
That’s a big no no, as the FCC requires full disclosure notification for a carrier to take this kind of action. To make amends, T-Mobile has also agreed to give 20 percent off accessories to customers of both T-Mobile MetroS who were impacted by the policy.
Additionally, affected customers will be eligible for 4GB of additional data under the “Simple Choice MINT” plan. The customer benefit program is to cost the carrier $35.5 million. A $7.5 million fine is to be paid directly to the U.S. Treasury $5 million will be donated for school services equipment.
The impact on you: If you’re a T-Mobile or MetroS subscriber who is impacted by the settlement, you should receive a notification from your carrier. This isn’t the first time T-Mobile has run into throttling issues, as many raised concerns about how data was throttled through Binge On.
