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Theyre also host todozens of virtual networks called MVNOsthat rely on their networks behind the scenes.
In many areas of the country, these are one and the same.
These caps charge higher prices to customers who use more data.
Ostensibly, caps manage online grid congestion, but its unclear (at best) if they actually help.
Data caps affect a customers average usage over a month, but theydontand canttarget high-traffic periods or locations.
Of course, Comcast also says theyre not caps, but data usage plans.
Data caps are such a huge problem that the FCC has receivedtens of thousands of complaints about themsince mid-2015.
Most of them, however, target home internet companies.
Carriers have stricter data limits, but this makesslightlymore sense given thatwireless spectrum is a finite resource.
In most cases, the limit also doesnt change if you have a faster internet speed.
Whether you have 1Mbps or 150Mbps, you get the same amount of data.
This makes no sense.
On the carrier side, things are a lot more confusing.
you’re free to get some unlimited plans, butthey come with a lot of fine print.
Sprints similar plan comes with 5GB of free LTE tethering data before you have to pay extra.
Verizondoesnt give a crap about unlimited plans.
The sheer volume of confusing carrier plans is enough to make my head spin and this is my job.
For the average consumer, getting a fair deal can be difficult, if not impossible.
Television and internet bundles nudge you into getting packages you might not need just to save a buck.
On the upside, television service is seeing a bit of a competition renaissance.
Getting internet service on your phone or in your home is frustrating no matter what.
Just dont forget tomake a phone call every six months to a yearto save yourself some money.
This policy was not initially disclosed to customers.
It was charged $12.5M in fines, plus it had to use $35.5M to compensate affected customers.
Notably, Sprint changed its policiesshortly after the FCC adopted new rules that made this practice illegal.
In Sprint and Verizons case, neither could prove their customers had ever approved the charges.
T-Mobile faced a similar charge in 2014, butclaims it had ceased the practice by then.
AT&T settled the investigation in 2015 for $25M.
This eventually led to a decision this week in the FCC toprohibit ISPs from selling user data without permission.
AT&Tzero-rates DIRECTV from mobile data caps, andVerizon zero-rates NFL streaming.
This list is by no means comprehensive, either.
Keeping legal tabs on these companies is a full time job.
Perhaps the biggest example of this isComcasts acquisition of NBCUniversal in 2011.
For Comcast, this is a pretty sweet deal.
For most consumers, it sounds scary as hell.
Back in 2007,NBC also wanted ISPs to become copyright cops.
While the acquisition hasnt led to the internet wasteland that some feared, it has consolidated power.
In some ways, this is legitimately comforting.
This consolidates a lot of power in one place, just like Comcast.
The third would be Fox, which is owned by 21st Century Fox.
It also means its harder to put pressure on those companies.
Dont like your Comcast internet service and want to vote with your wallet?
Where are carriers in all this?
Sprintdoesnt really have the money to buy anyoneand itsJapan-based owner SoftBankdoesnt have a big media presence.
T-Mobiles majority shareholderDeutsche Telekomsimilarly doesnt have much interest in becoming a mega media conglomerate.
The only other carrier interested in media is Verizon which has a curious history with it at best.
In 2014, Verizon tried to launch its own tech news site, SugarString.
This site had the flagrantly biased mandateto avoid topics such as spying and net neutrality.
It closedless than two months later.
In 2015, Verizon tried again toget into the media game by…buying AOL.
Not exactly a multimedia leader.
This gave Verizon control of sites like the Huffington Post and TechCrunch, but thats about it.
Thenit bought Yahoo in 2016, which gave it Tumblr and all of Yahoos media portals.
Those properties are important, but its a far cry from owning whole news networks and movie studios.
Cable companies are on another level, though.
AT&T and Comcast are angling to become multimedia titans that are increasingly hard to challenge.
These worries are compounded when these companies control powerful lobbying arms.
If were looking for most evil, this probably takes the cake.
