Well, what do you think of the new AT&T tiered data plan?
http://arstechnica.com/...
http://www.computerworld.com/...
I'm posting this here because I know there are iPhone/iPad users here who will have opinions, and because it seems to me that there could be a connection (that I cannot articulate or even grasp at the moment) between tiered data-plan pricing and network neutrality.
More explanation and discussion below.
[If you don't already know, tethering means connecting your portable computer to the Internet via your phone's data plan, generally over bluetooth.]
Basically, they will dump the current unlimited data plans (current customers can keep using them, but there is some confusion regarding the exact conditions on this), replacing them with a two-tiered plan: 200 MB for $15/month plus $15 for a second 200 MB ; 2GB for $25 plus $10 for each fraction of a GB over that.
In addition, it will cost $20/month to enable tethering, which includes no additional data capacity.
Now, my family probably fits into the tiered pricing pretty well. I will have to go with the 2GB "pro" plan, but my wife & daughters appear to be well within the 200 MB limits. On balance, we will probably save some money on this. Based on other comments I read, I think that that's fairly typical.
The thing that gripes me and most other people is the tethering cost.
This would make sense with an unlimited data plan, since with two devices sucking in bits, you'd use more bandwidth. But with a limited plan, where the actual cost per bit is being paid out of the same pocket, that $20 per month is hard to swallow.
I read one explanation of it, as follows: the pricing depends on people buying more bandwidth than they use. Call it "headroom" bandwidth. Well, with two separate data plans, once for the Macbook, one for the iPhone, there would be a lot more headroom than with a shared/tethered approach. To make up for the extra $$$ this unused bandwidth would bring in, they want to charge $20.
I mean, I get the logic of it from AT&T's side, but it still seems pretty outrageous to me that you have to pay hard money for this abstract headroom concept.
On the other hand, I think it will be possible to serve more than one computer with a single tethered iPhone, all for the same $20, since the fee is associated with the phone.
What do you think?