FCC Seeks Record $100 Million Fine from AT&T

The FCC is proposing a $100 million fine on AT&T Mobility for misleading consumers about its unlimited data plan.

The FCC said AT&T Mobility willfully and repeatedly violated its 2010 Open Internet Transparency Rule by: (1) using the misleading and inaccurate term “unlimited” to label a data plan that was in fact subject to prolonged speed reductions after a customer used a set amount of data; and (2) failing to disclose the express speed reductions that it applied to “unlimited” data plan customers once they hit a specified data threshold.

The FCC said it was unconvinced that AT&T’s disclosures about its unlimited data policies provided consumers with sufficient information to make informed choices about their broadband service.

https://www.fcc.gov/document/att-mobility-faces-100m-fine-misleading-consumers-0

• Two of the five FCC Commissioners issued statement opposing the fine.