So AT&T has decided to eliminate the unlimited data-options from their pricing plans and TOR's first thought was that hopefully this will mean a better connection for everybody. The plans are intended to curb the usage of users who use (or abuse) the unlimited plans. I don't think they will be changing present contracts but new customers or ones changing their plans will have an option for $15 for a 200MB plan and $25 for a 2 GB monthly plan as a replacement for the $30 unlimited plan.
My first thought is who the hell uses 2GB's of data per month?
I used AT&T's handy little data-calculator at http://www.att.com/standalone/data-calculator/ and I figure you can send /receive 70 emails per day, 10 of which have attachments. You can send 15 photos per day, listen to 30 minutes of streaming music and 10 minutes of streaming video plus view 90 web-pages, download 1 app and post 5 photos onto Facebook each and every day. Basically that means that you won't have time to eat, breath or take a dump although I do know a lot of people who use their Iphone on the sh*tter.
What I have always wondered is why certain industries charge for actual usage like electricity, water, heat, while others like cable give you a standard bill regardless of your usage like cable and internet usage. The entire model of unlimited usage is completely socialist and for people who don't watch a lot of TV or don't surf the internet it becomes a complete rip-off. I can't understand how certain business models like mobile surfing has traditionally been an unlimited offering while text messages are charged per amount although you can buy them in bundle packaging. I've often read that the internet is slowed down tremendously by a small percentage of people who watch online videos or play the 2010 version of Dungeons and Dragons online which means that the rest of the world suffers. This is like being on a one-lane high-way with a guy driving 20 MPH and causing a giant traffic backup because of it. One guy can ruin the lives of thousands of others, we have to get rid of this unlimited usage thing, it's un-American, it's un-democratic and it's un-livable for those of us who just want to surf the net for some news, a couple of nudie pictures and some fantasy football news.
So with that kind of heavy usage required to get to 2GB per month AT&T says it will actually save most people money. They estimate that 98% of users will use less than 2GB per month so by switching they would save $5 per month by changing to the 2GB plan. Of course what they are doing here is losing a battle to win a war because as mobile-surfing increases the data-usage will too and I'm sure that within 5 years 2GB a month will be what 200MB per month is today. They want to get people off those unlimited all-you-can-eat plans and into ones that are tiered. Verizon Wireless just allowed me to download an NFL app which allows me to download streaming live-video of any NFL game. But when I see how much data live-video takes up, you can see exactly what they are doing. Basically these mobile companies are like crack-dealers, give you something for free the first time and before you know it you are fiending , you haven't showered in a month, your kids are neglected, your unit is covered in sores and you are giving BJ's for $5 behind the 7-11.
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