Can you get caught for tethering?

[eshropshire]

Why? It is outrageous for a phone company to have any control over what you use the data for. I only have a 200 MB plan but if I want to tether that should be my business not theirs.

It is a little different if you have an unlimited plan but the guy said he didn't tether much at all.

Either way, for people who pay based on how much they use it shouldn't matter if you tether or not.

If you feel this way why did you sign a contract with AT&T saying you would not tether? Unless the contract has changed since I signed up it seemed pretty straight forward to me.

 

[chmcke01]

If you feel this way why did you sign a contract with AT&T saying you would not tether? Unless the contract has changed since I signed up it seemed pretty straight forward to me.

Do you really have a choice? The only two carriers that have good service where I live are AT&T and Verizon, and they both require a special tethering plan even if you will just tether a little. I even toyed with the idea of switching to Verizon but their cheapest data plan is $30 and even though it is about the same as AT&T charges for the same amount of data I just don't need that much. Also, I certainly can't afford to just buy a phone outright and I am on a family plan so I couldn't leave until the whole familys contract was up (they are different because some waited to upgrade).

The point is, I only get 200 MB per month data and that is enough for me, but in order to be allowed to tether I would need to pay 3 times as much and have a TON of data left over. That would be like AT&T saying that because I have 5 lines I am required to have at least the 1400 minute plan even though the 5 of us currently share 700 minutes and we have rollover every month.

I never said I didn't know we weren't supposed to tether, I am saying it is total BS for AT&T to have a say in how I use my allotted data. If I am paying for 200 MB then all that should matter is how much I used total, not whether or not 50 MB of it was from tethering.

 

[kenmitch]

I remember reading something like following:

To see apps blacklisted by your carrier in the app store a person needs to do the following while on WiFi. Put phone in airplane mode or was it no sim card....Hmm maybe google can clarify it.

Tethering data plans are overpriced and should be an optional service on top of the data plan. Data is data and where it winds up doesn't effect how much it costs to get there. I could see a fee of $10-20 being fare or reasonable to most people.

 

[XANAX]

I am saying it is total BS for AT&T to have a say in how I use my allotted data. If I am paying for 200 MB then all that should matter is how much I used total, not whether or not 50 MB of it was from tethering.

It's a case of a few bad apples ruining it for the whole bunch. People with unlimited plans tethering hundred's of GBs and spoiled it for everyone. AT&T is a business and is just covering their own ass. Perhaps if some people didn't get so crazy with tethering, AT&T wouldn't have to be so strict. Point is, it's AT&T's data and you pay to use it. Therefore, you must abide by their rules or suffer the consequences.

 

[dan1431]

I tether from time to time, always very lightly a few 100Mbs every few months (if that) and I have never been contacted by at&t.

I generally tether when I have little other choice and I need to write a lengthy email or do something else that requires my laptop rather than my smartphone.

Dan

 

[barbo]

I agree with the folks that say those on the 200mb or 2GB plans ought to be able to use those limits in any way they choose (including tethering). If you use more than some figure (5 GB maybe) then tethering ought to cost extra. too bad that is not the way AT&T sees it.