Verizon Plans to Stop Unsanctioned Tethering that Uses Unofficial Apps

[dgstorm]

About a week or so ago, AT&T announced that they would be forcing customers who use unofficial apps and hacks for unsanctioned tethering to pay more. They further have begun threatening to cancel grandfathered unlimited data plans on the AT&T network if users didn't stop using "illegal" tethering. It appears that Verizon is following AT&T's example and will soon be employing some of the same tactics.

We have actually already started seeing this from Verizon previously. If they catch users using unsanctioned tethering they redirect them from whatever page they are trying to visit to a Verizon page that offers official tethering for $20 more monthly. From what reports indicate, they are now going to be making this "more official", and may consider further actions. The only bright side is that Verizon's unlimited official tethering is considerably cheaper than the $45 dollar monthly charge on AT&T.

It's probably not surprising, but what do you guys think of this development?

Source: SlashGear

 

[jstafford1]

Inevitable ....stop using your phone as an ISP!!!

end of line...

 

[steveninspokane]

NooooooooooooOOooooooooo!

Eh, but really, I use the tethering on my D2 like maybe 2 times a year, and only in the car traveling. I certainly won't pay $20 a month just for that.

 

[NeoandGeo]

I will continue to find ways around it.

 

[LoneWolfArcher]

I am more concerned that they can actually detect me doing this, than the actions they take following. How do they know? Are they monitoring my phone to see what app I am running? I have a problem with that.

 

[AuxiliaryPie]

someone make an app that masks the IP of whatever site youre visiting to show up as the facebook app... that way even if verizon was like "hmm this guy used 42 gigs of facebook.apk..lets give him a call" and you'd be like "get off my jock, i just like facebook a lot"

 

[Sqube]

The people using it as an ISP have ruined it for the people who just want to do it every now and again. Ah, well. It was nice while it lasted.

 

[riguy156]

i dont use it that much but i did use it somtimes when there was no wifi for my laptop its my data i shouldnt half to pay more to teather

 

[loki993]

The people using it as an ISP have ruined it for the people who just want to do it every now and again. Ah, well. It was nice while it lasted.

and they couldnt care less about it either

 

[NeoandGeo]

I guarantee you they would have done this whether there were people using it as an ISP or not. The bottom line is people are using a service that Verizon feels you should pay for, for free.

 

[steveninspokane]

The people using it as an ISP have ruined it for the people who just want to do it every now and again. Ah, well. It was nice while it lasted.

I don't think that's it at all.

The fact is, Vzw knows they can get more money, and so they are going to do whatever it takes.

 

[pc747]

I have to question that because I know that vzw will be also going after their workers for this. Look if they want to crack down on abusers I am all for it. But a few times talking to vzw tech reps there are a lot of holes in the system and until vzw fixes that they will continue to see issues. Its hard to enforce a policy when they are so far behind with the android software. Their "tethering" plan is an issue because they admit its for users wanting to make it a mobile hotspot. And thunderbolt users (who are not rooted) you have to wait a day to see how much data you use tethering because they still do not have an official myvzw app.
I really would like to look deeper into this to see if they are concerned about those on unlimited data or those on tiered plan. Because if this is also cracking down on people using tiered plans (I say that because we know att customers use tiered) then that is a case of vzw being greedy. Because now you are now paying for what you use and to still crack down on those tethering on tiered plans would be just outrageous in my opinion.

 

[RyanPm40]

Can't Verizon really only tell if you're tethering by looking into a massive spike in your data usage? I only tether 2-3 times a year when I go to a doctor's appointment 3 hours away so I can use my laptop for internet.

I doubt Verizon will find me, so I don't really care. This isn't much new; they've been busting people like this for awhile now.

 

[PhotoMaster]

I've never even tried tethering, but this phone barely works as a phone, never mind as an ISP!

Sent from my DROID X2 using DroidForums

 

[sst45jeff]

I was going on vacation & new that I would have to pay like $5.00 a day to get wireless internet where we were staying to be able to work a few hours a day so I had Verizon turn on my OG droid as a hotspot to tether my laptop to.
The fee is pro rated for only the days you have it on according to the rep that activated it for me.
Every time the phone rang while I was tethered it screwed up the connection so that I had to restart the browser & connection several times to get it to hook back up to my laptop. This took as much as 10 min. to get the connection back sometimes. It only works with Vista & up, I am on W7 & was incredibly slow at times even with a strong signal.

I never had any issues with the connection using wireless tether. It would just pick right back up where it left off after I got off the phone & the connection was way faster.

I have an unlimited data plan but the tethering was limited to 2GB for the $20.00 & some how they seem to know when I was tethering versus just using data on my phone. There are two separate data usage charts for un billed data on my line for data versus tethering.
I am also on a shard family plan as the primary number & they know which phone is using what data.