AT&T Lowers Data Access To Just $500/GB 339
GMGruman writes "No doubt in a move to demonstrate how having fewer carriers (once it buys T-Mobile) will be good for US cellular customers, AT&T has announced lower data pricing for customers not on contract: On a per-gigabyte basis, GoPhone users will only pay $500 rather than the previous $5,000. Such a deal. The pricing is indeed lower, but even the best option for such users is five times more than regular customers pay. And given that pay-as-you-go pricing is what the poor and people living paycheck to paycheck use, the result is those who can afford the least still pay by far the most."
for pete's sake (Score:4, Insightful)
there isn't an industry in as sore need of regulation
most of all, i am quite tired of paying the same mandated data plan price for rural 2g
And downloading "data" to smartphone... (Score:3, Insightful)
...is, of course, a necessity of life (in addition to cable television).
How silly (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:And downloading "data" to smartphone... (Score:5, Insightful)
With proper regulation it could be a more efficient use of money than having a landline and internet. The problem is that there's no competition at all in the American telecommunication industry, and I'm really curious as to what exactly they're referring to when they claim it's competitive.
So what? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Oh no! (Score:5, Insightful)
I think the point is that those people are getting soaked. If you want a smart phone you better not want to go prepaid. Of course there are other carriers that do not abuse their customers at that rate. The problem is that one of them is being bought by AT&T... Hey FCC and FTC did you see this?
Re:How silly (Score:4, Insightful)
"And given that pay-as-you-go pricing is what the poor and people living paycheck to paycheck use...
And people with bad credit.
Re:Willingness to pay (Score:5, Insightful)
In hilariously non-competitive markets, of course, willingness to pay and cost are more or less completely decoupled. The same is true for 'ahead of their time' products(where everbody's cost is much higher than anybody's willingness to pay, so the product stays in the lab). In a competitive market for a mature product, though, willingness to pay and cost are fairly closely related.
Re:for pete's sake (Score:2, Insightful)
I just don't understand why anyone would use ATT's shitty service when there is one that is so very much better that is readily available.
Because in many areas, there isn't.
Re:Fundamental (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:for pete's sake (Score:4, Insightful)
Owning a smart phone with a data plan isn't a human right. Don't want to pay that much for the data plan? Don't. Live without it. Billions do it every day.
If, on the other hand, you choose, of your own volition, to pay the exorbitant fee for the data plan, you only serve to prove that the pricing was reasonable and correct.