AT&T will no longer allow unlimited TV streaming now that California law bans 'zero-rating'

[SilentMajority]

AT&T lies about Calif. net neutrality law, claiming it bans “free data”

In reality, the California law allows AT&T to continue zero-rating HBO Max, its own video service, as long as it exempts all competing video services from data caps without charging the other video providers. But instead of zero-rating all video without collecting payments from its competitors in the online-video business, AT&T decided it would rather not exempt anything at all.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy...et-neutrality-law-claiming-it-bans-free-data/

 

[hwertz]

It seems that in the USA nothing can be free.

Free = Stalinism or something. Nuts!

Datacaps, really?

Yesterday I watched Drew from TailosiveTech rant about 17 days it took him to cancel Comcast. And he paid ~110$ for 1TB data cap before switching later to "Unlimited" for 140+. That's just criminal. For 110+USD I can get 4000+ up/down today if I call my ISP. 1000/1000 cost equivalent of 25$. Static IP less than 1$. No limits, logs, etc. Just FTTH. I pay like 12$ for 200/200, don't need more, probably ever.

Yup straight up, US is waaaay down the list in terms of broadband availability (... there's also a lot of rural space, so running a fiber, cable, or dsl to all this space is fairly impractical), and waaay down the list in affordability and pricing (which is bad, some biggest cities have 3+ competitors and competitive prices... but many markets have 1 cable and 1 DSL provider with duopoly pricing, they do not try to compete on price or quality of service; I'm paying $80 a month for 40/5 (which is really about 32 down), due to cable and DSL co acting as a duopoly here, and the fiber optic provider that's rolling out in town has not gotten here yet (the second it does I'm going to them!)

edit: And the kick in the nuts on it, Centurylink has a "We don't have a cap, but we'll let you know if you're using too much data" fake data cap. I haven't gotten word from them, but my friend did a few years back -- oh he went around and around with them on it. "You're using too much data." "So, how what's your cap?" "We don't have one." "... So why are you talking to me then, if you don't have a cap I can't use too much data." "Well...." "So, how much LESS data do I have to use to not hear back from you?" "Well, we don't have a limit." "Well, then again, why are you even talking to me then, obviously you do have a limit or we wouldn't be having this conversation." It just went like that, he didn't cut his data use at all since they wouldn't actually tell him how much he could use, eventually they tried to force him onto like a twice as exensive business plan so he cancelled and went with cable (which where he lived got horrible speeds due to oversubscription, but no "we don't have a cap" data cap.)

 

[moobg]

CA and Texas are examples of what happens when extremism of one ideology governs a whole state. You want to see 100% liberalism in action? Look at California. You want to see 100% conservatism in action? Look at Texas.

They both suck

From your very own linked article:

"For example, fewer people moved into the state to replace those who left,” Natalie Holmes, research fellow at the California Policy Lab, said in a statement."

Translation, people are LEAVING CA for other states.

You gotta love people who don't actually live here trying to tell us what it's like to actually live here.

First, CA isn't as progressive as yRaz and others would make it seem. Yes, we're more progressive than some states on certain issues (like the environment and tech...sort of), but, as an example, CA voters also just passed Prop 22, which allows companies to keep treating certain workers as independent contractors instead of employees with benefits. Guess how a proposition bankrolled to the tune of over $200 million by tech companies like Uber and Lyft affected their workers? Exactly as you'd expect. And one of the arguments made by those same companies was that treating their workers like employees would lead to higher prices but guess what happened anyway? Exactly what you'd expect. Much like with AT&T, nothing these massive companies do are for the benefit of the consumer.

As for people leaving CA, of course they are. People move in and out of all 50 states every year. You said people were leaving in huge numbers; they're not. Unfortunately, what we are losing are some of the lower-middle class families. You have to look no further than our housing crisis to know that there's no shortage of people wanting to move here. Maybe you should read the articles I've linked to see the nuance of what's happening with our population.

 

[yRaz]

You gotta love people who don't actually live here trying to tell us what it's like to actually live here.

First, CA isn't as progressive as yRaz and others would make it seem. Yes, we're more progressive than some states on certain issues (like the environment and tech...sort of), but, as an example, CA voters also just passed Prop 22, which allows companies to keep treating certain workers as independent contractors instead of employees with benefits. Guess how a proposition bankrolled to the tune of over $200 million by tech companies like Uber and Lyft affected their workers? Exactly as you'd expect. And one of the arguments made by those same companies was that treating their workers like employees would lead to higher prices but guess what happened anyway? Exactly what you'd expect. Much like with AT&T, nothing these massive companies do are for the benefit of the consumer.

As for people leaving CA, of course they are. People move in and out of all 50 states every year. You said people were leaving in huge numbers; they're not. Unfortunately, what we are losing are some of the lower-middle class families. You have to look no further than our housing crisis to know that there's no shortage of people wanting to move here. Maybe you should read the articles I've linked to see the nuance of what's happening with our population.

So what you're saying is that while it's not as progressive as I'm saying, it still sucks. Unless you have a good job and can afford to live there, it sucks.

When I was younger I always wanted to move to CA, but after looking at wages and the cost of living I decided to stay in Pittsburgh. Plus, we have a culture here you just can't get in other city. Anyway, I'm going to end here before I get too far off the point

 

[BobHome]

Except they aren't. People spouting nonsense online doesn't make it true.

And here's an alternative headline to AT&T's bs. They could have just as easily offered zero-rating on all streaming video, but they took the route you'd expect from a company as inept as AT&T. This is a company that had over 25 million premium TV customers in 2017 yet drove customers away en masse to the tune of subscriber losses of about 8.5 million since then. This is a company that paid $49 billion for DirecTV in 2015, and it's now worth $15 billion. Their incompetence is almost unmatched.

Also, yes, I say this as a DirecTV subscriber because I've seen the service degradation over the past few years. The second I can't get an annual deal, I'm out. AT&T is awful.

We're hanging onto AT&T TV streaming service mainly because we get HBO (Max) for $5 a month, a perk we got when it was DirecTV Now. Plus being grandfathered in, we still have more channels with our 'Live a Little' plan still in effect.
Yeah, the new bump in price is cringe-worthy, the 20 Hr DVR is still a joke, but as long as the LaL channels selection is still there and the Missus is happy....

 

[bobc4012]

Another reason why to never live in CA. Just please if you move don't come to FL. Thanks

I agree. They leave because of what is going on and then vote for the same class of politicians like those in CA. We have the same problem in our state with the influx coming from CA. Then they go and vote for the same political class because they want it to "be just like back home".

 

[bobc4012]

From your very own linked article:

"For example, fewer people moved into the state to replace those who left,” Natalie Holmes, research fellow at the California Policy Lab, said in a statement."

Translation, people are LEAVING CA for other states.

Agree. I have family in and AZ, TX, CO and other states. In the the three I cited and in my state (not Florida) we are seeing an increased no. of people pouring in from CA. Unfortunately, too many of them bring their CA politics along and start turning our state into another CA!

 

[mbrowne5061]

I agree. They leave because of what is going on and then vote for the same class of politicians like those in CA. We have the same problem in our state with the influx coming from CA. Then they go and vote for the same political class because they want it to "be just like back home".

Agree. I have family in and AZ, TX, CO and other states. In the the three I cited and in my state (not Florida) we are seeing an increased no. of people pouring in from CA. Unfortunately, too many of them bring their CA politics along and start turning our state into another CA!

As long as they don't vote to enact something like California's property tax laws, you should be fine. Freezing tax rates to the value at the last sale seems like a good way to keep the government from getting too greedy with property taxes, but it also crashes the supply and causes home prices to skyrocket (further crashing the supply, since now no one wants to move intra-state, or your increase your taxes).

That is the only reason any of them are leaving, is the house prices. And the house prices are high because the taxes are calculated against the last sale price, so no one sells.

 

[RabidMnky]

Sadly, it's the closest thing to the first world in America.

Right, because rampant homelessness, poop on the streets, and discarded hypodermic needles on sidewalks and in alleys just screams first world.