WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States is planning to hand telecommunications company AT&T a $100 million fine for allegedly misleading customers about their unlimited phone data plans, the US Federal Communication Commission (FCC) announced in a statement on Wednesday.
“The Federal Communications Commission plans to fine AT&T Mobility, LLC $100,000,000 for misleading its customers about unlimited mobile data plans,” the statement read.
FCC’s investigation found that AT&T “severely slowed down” the data speed of its customers with unlimited data plans and also failed to “adequately notify its customers” they could receive speeds which were slower than normal network speeds advertised by AT&T.
“Unlimited means unlimited,” FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Travis LeBlanc said in the agency statement. “As today’s action demonstrates, the [Federal Communication] Commission is committed to holding accountable those broadband providers who fail to be fully transparent about data limits.”
Telecommunications giant AT&T announced it will fight the fine.
“We will vigorously dispute the FCC’s assertions,” AT&T said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon. “The FCC has specifically identified this practice as a legitimate and reasonable way to manage network resources for the benefit of all customers, and has known for years that all of the major carriers use it.”
AT&T is arguing it has been “fully transparent” with its customers about how they can find multiple ways beyond the FCC’s disclosure requirements.
Since 2011, the FCC says they have received thousands of complaints about customers with AT&T unlimited data plans, who say they were misled and locked into long-term phone contracts.
