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AT&T Responds to Uproar Over FaceTime

AT&T Responds to Uproar Over FaceTime

Posted August 22, 2012 at 2:22pm by iClarified
AT&T has responded to customers who are angry that FaceTime over 3G is only being offered on their Mobile Share data plans.

A petition was recently started to bring the company's 'violation of Net Neutrality' to the attention of the FCC. AT&T has since posted a lengthy defense of its actions.

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Last week, we confirmed plans to make FaceTime available over our mobile broadband network for our AT&T Mobile Share data plan customers.


FaceTime is a video chat application that has been pre-loaded onto every AT&T iPhone since the introduction of iPhone 4. Customers have been using this popular app for several years over Wi-Fi. AT&T does not have a similar preloaded video chat app that competes with FaceTime or any other preloaded video chat application. Nonetheless, in another knee jerk reaction, some groups have rushed to judgment and claimed that AT&T's plans will violate the FCC's net neutrality rules. Those arguments are wrong.

Providers of mobile broadband Internet access service are subject to two net neutrality requirements: (1) a transparency requirement pursuant to which they must disclose accurate information regarding the network management practices, performance, and commercial terms of their broadband Internet access services; and (2) a no-blocking requirement under which they are prohibited, subject to reasonable network management, from blocking applications that compete with the provider's voice or video telephony services.

AT&T's plans for FaceTime will not violate either requirement. Our policies regarding FaceTime will be fully transparent to all consumers, and no one has argued to the contrary. There is no transparency issue here.

Nor is there a blocking issue. The FCC's net neutrality rules do not regulate the availability to customers of applications that are preloaded on phones. Indeed, the rules do not require that providers make available any preloaded apps. Rather, they address whether customers are able to download apps that compete with our voice or video telephony services. AT&T does not restrict customers from downloading any such lawful applications, and there are several video chat apps available in the various app stores serving particular operating systems. (I won't name any of them for fear that I will be accused by these same groups of discriminating in favor of those apps. But just go to your app store on your device and type "video chat.") Therefore, there is no net neutrality violation.


Although the rules don't require it, some preloaded apps are available without charge on phones sold by AT&T, including FaceTime, but subject to some reasonable restrictions. To date, all of the preloaded video chat applications on the phones we sell, including FaceTime, have been limited to Wi-Fi. With the introduction of iOS6, we will extend the availability of the preloaded FaceTime to our mobile broadband network for our Mobile Share data plans which were designed to make more data available to consumers. To be clear, customers will continue to be able to use FaceTime over Wi-Fi irrespective of the data plan they choose. We are broadening our customers' ability to use the preloaded version of FaceTime but limiting it in this manner to our newly developed AT&T Mobile Share data plans out of an overriding concern for the impact this expansion may have on our network and the overall customer experience.

We will be monitoring the impact the upgrade to this popular preloaded app has on our mobile broadband network, and customers, too, will be in a learning mode as to exactly how much data FaceTime consumes on those usage-based plans. We always strive to provide our customers with the services they desire and will incorporate our learnings from the roll-out of FaceTime on our mobile broadband network into our future service offerings.
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AT&T is saying that because FaceTime is a 'preloaded app' that they can legally prevent you from using it with the 3G data you've already paid for. We suggest you sign the petition.

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AT&T Responds to Uproar Over FaceTime
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Comments (26)
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Ben Reynolds
Ben Reynolds - September 28, 2012 at 12:15am
I have also started a petition against at
Oz
Oz - September 18, 2012 at 5:22pm
What if you have a single line w AT&T?
Shameer
Shameer - August 23, 2012 at 3:14pm
Then why did the block mywi earlier? https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCcQFjAB&url=http://www.intomobile.com/2011/03/18/att-blocking-unofficial-tethering-apps-like-mywi/&ei=vUg2UJyyKIXm0QG-hIHADA&usg=AFQjCNEXI2ryfGuShkOyg61-5xA4JWIsZQ&sig2=ddzvnvazAdiG48pfTAJNig
SiNNeD
SiNNeD - August 23, 2012 at 4:01am
not for nothing but they have to do it. so many people out there with iphones is crazy. haven't u noticed that at&t can't handle all the data usage people put on there 3g network. That's why i can't make a phone call sometimes depending where i am, to many people using data. now picture iphone users using FaceTime all the time, or should i say try to use facetime. the 3g network is so congested until they fully roll out LTE everywhere it would cripple them. i'll just keep my jailbroken phone running iOS 5 do it anyway. well see what happens.
Po2345
Po2345 - August 23, 2012 at 3:21am
Since when did Boost Mobile get iPhones?(referring to the blacks using FaceTime with government dollars)
Frank
Frank - August 23, 2012 at 3:03am
This is definitely one time I would like to see the FCC step in.
Guidonj
Guidonj - August 22, 2012 at 10:22pm
This is a way to get you off an unlimited plan to sign up for a different plan. That's what AT&T is trying to do, just watch.
Really!!!
Really!!! - August 22, 2012 at 11:08pm
YEP!!! Thats all this is about. Getting people off unlimited and into sharing plan. Data is data there is no difference from a technical standpoint.
L.W. Brown
L.W. Brown - August 22, 2012 at 10:22pm
That ATT response is truly an egregious piece of lobbyist double-speak, and I was one for 20 years. They basically say that as long as they allow you to download any app you want, they are being neutral "enough," and can force you to pay more for using data transmitted with that app instead of using data transmitted some other way. That's not even a common-sense interpretation of NET neutrality, much less what was intended.
talk
talk - August 22, 2012 at 6:36pm
Get Tango or Skype. Get Staighttalk They have unlimited data plan. So Everybody wins!
Man
Man - August 22, 2012 at 6:32pm
Well, the bottom line is: Unless you switch to the more expensive data plan you get no FaceTime over cellular. How the hell one data plan is "designed better for FaceTime" than another? This excuse may work for some technically illiterate customers. The reality is that all data plans are exactly the same, except that one has a certain port blocked to disable video transmission over cellular. You want that port open? Pay more money! ATT can care less about your feelings when it comes to the money part.
Simon
Simon - August 22, 2012 at 6:29pm
T to tell me what apps I can use to consume that data with. GET IT?
What
What - August 22, 2012 at 6:36pm
Eric, I have 2 GB of data in my data plan. Why does ATT tell me how to use it? If you take this further they just gonna block email and then say "our data plan is for web browsing only. You want email - get our Email Data Plan for $20 extra"!
Ivan
Ivan - August 22, 2012 at 6:40pm
This really sucks for AT
Po2345
Po2345 - August 23, 2012 at 3:18am
I still have an a so called "unlimited" AT&T data iPhone plan. They apparently slow me down at 3GB. Which is still BS.
Anakin-Marc Zaeger
Anakin-Marc Zaeger - August 23, 2012 at 11:31pm
@Eric: You're right, it is their servers and towers, and they can charge your data usage as they see fit. Just like the power company, owning the generators and power transmission infrastructure, should have the right to charge your power usage based on what you're doing. If you're using power or gas for something "essential" like a refrigerator, that's one rate, if you're using power or gas for something "non essential" like a TV or computer, that's another rate, and if you're using your power or gas for a "luxury" like heating a pool or running your climate control beyond what they consider "normal", then you pay a premium. Since you feel that AT&T has the right to decide how you use "their" infrastructure, I'm sure you wouldn't mind if your power utility started telling you how you could and couldn't use "their" provided power. Only difference is that one is electrons, and one is 1s and 0s. If you don't like it, you could always live off the grid, just like if you don't like AT&T, you can use wifi. I'm sure you'd defend your utility just as fervently as you are defending AT&T. To do otherwise would be hypocrisy.
Nick D Petro
Nick D Petro - August 22, 2012 at 5:15pm
Verizon is making you loose your data unlimited plan as soon as you get a new subsidized phone. Unless the FCC steps in and says the the big boys you cant force people out of their data unlimited plans until they decide to leave or cancel their plan this is how it's going to be!
AoS_HJ
AoS_HJ - August 22, 2012 at 5:00pm
They said they've been offering FaceTime for several years?! It's only been available for just over 2 years! Can people not just boycott AT&T? They'll soon change their t&c's :-)
Ralph Rodriguez
Ralph Rodriguez - August 22, 2012 at 3:25pm
Technically AT&T is only doing this to make consumers spend more money like they always have done for many years. My opinion if the device is offering something new that the hardware is already build in theirs no reason to charge extra when the consumer is already willing to pay the price of the device
Nick
Nick - August 22, 2012 at 3:33pm
I miss the days when companies cared about the customer along with making money, and not just caring about solely making money. When is enough!?!?!?
Mike
Mike - August 22, 2012 at 3:11pm
ATTN: APPLE Please make FaceTime a free downloadable app. Thanks. F*** AT
Why
Why - August 22, 2012 at 3:05pm
t mobile might be a choice there coming out with a new data plan
Nick
Nick - August 22, 2012 at 3:32pm
I saw that T-Mobile is releasing an unlimited data plan with no speed cap, I'll have to check how their network is around my areas, because I'm tired of always worrying what AT&T or Verizon will make us pay for next and Sprint just doesn't have solid coverage around me.
James
James - August 22, 2012 at 5:22pm
Except that so far with TMobile you'd be limited to Edge speeds as the iphone is not compatible with their 3G.....
Billfold
Billfold - August 22, 2012 at 2:33pm
Just jailbreak.
Nick
Nick - August 22, 2012 at 2:57pm
That's why I'm hoping I won't have to wait too long for a jailbreak to become available on the iPhone 5. This is just some bs AT&T is spewing, the only reason I'm still with them is because Verizon doesn't offer unlimited data anymore and Sprint sucks.
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