Talk to Clark 1-4pm ET: (877) 87-CLARK or (404) 872-0750
advertisement
Looking for something on the site? Search for it here! Also see Clark's Greatest Hits
May 08, 2009 -- AT&T Wireless denies violating net neutrality with new TOS
Clark has been harshing on AT&T Wireless over a New York Times report that suggested recent changes to the company's terms of service (TOS) will block access to free TV sites like YouTube and Hulu.
Mark Siegel, Executive Director of Media Relations for AT&T Wireless, came on the show today to offer some clarification. Siegel says you can use your AT&T Wireless phone to go anywhere you want on the Internet; there are no restrictions.
There are, however, certain applications that clog bandwidth so they have been banned. These include Slingbox and other services that redirect a TV signal from its source to your wireless phone.
To summarize Siegel's position, this is a capacity issue, and it has nothing to do with AT&T Wireless' desire to violate net neutrality.
Unfortunately, Clark won't be able to answer any questions submitted via commenting. If you have a question, please try posting it to our message boards.
A friend at work has AT&T. Her daughter has Internet access. I asked her to try to sign on the HULU. She got a message to Download the Adobe Flash Player Can't do on her phone so no "HULU for you" That's how they restrict you form using free sites.
Free ride will soon be over
The key words here are "block access to free TV sites". AT&T is a corporation the is in business to make $$. If you clog their bandwith to watch videos they have every right to block of limit your use. BTW I am not an employee of AT&T or even have AT&T as my carrier.
Slingbox
You can use Slingbox on any device on the ATT network and they aren't going to do anything. They just decided to limit the iPhone app to wifi only.
Simple solution? Avoid the iPhone and its closed app-approval process that lets Apple and AT&T dictate what you can do with your digital device!
There is logic behind the prohibition, sort of. AT&T knows their network can't take being swamped by these data-intensive applications, so they are trying to limit it so everyone like me can still use the service during peak periods (all I do is look at the weather and news).
Now, for the "sort of" - they don't prohibit you downloading videos, streaming other videos from sites like YouTube and streaming radio. Those are all data intensive as well. So it's a bit hypocritical of them to place the limits they have.
Dates or Time Frame?
Does anyone know if this is already in effect or when it will be in affect. I also want to know, if indeed it is in affect. How come I was not notified by ATT of these changes???
I Pay For My Bandwidth
With my iPhone I pay for my bandwidth. I am allowed 5 gigabytes of data a month. If I want to Sling on my iPhone using the bandwidth I paid for I should be able to as long as I don't go over my 5 GB limit.
I am getting word that today the Slingbox iPhone application will be released and will be released for use on WIFI Networks only. I can live with this since there is an application available for Jailbroken iPhones which will make any program which requires WIFI access to work to make it think the 3G network is WIFI. :)
Again I am paying for my bandwidth, let me decide how I use it.
Cingular Video
This is all about their attempts to market their "video capable" phones. I hope they send me changes in my TOS.
But will ATT actually enforce their Sling ban?
It's one thing to change the TOS to forbid receiving a sling broadcast via their network. It's quite another to enforce the ban. I suppose they have a way to block you from accessing a slingbox signal.
AT&T seems to be having some 3G network capacity issues, so they may have a legit concern about this making those problems worse. But you can't help but wonder if the real motivation is to get you to pay for their own rather limited video services.
I don't think so
AT&T must be hiring politicians now to put a favourable, albeit nonsensical, spin on the truth.
Time for some federal regulations
We need to pressure our regulators to prohibit this type of censorship. All content should be available, in a few years phones will have tons of bandwith and yet we will still have these sites banned, count on it. They want you to pay for THEIR TV service, not allow you to use competitors, that reeks of monopoly tactics.
If AT&T changes my TOS, I'll simply refuse to agree to them, and then they must let me out of the agreement.. Then I can be month to month
Slingbox
My Slingbox doesn't redirect a tv signal on the ATT network. My Slingbox redirects a signal on my cable broadband. My Iphone just receives my signal. How can they ban my slingbox?????
