AT&T Suspends Home Broadband Data Caps After FCC Commissioner Calls For 'Aggressive Action'

A Federal Communications Commission member on Thursday called for “aggressive action” to expand broadband availability -- including the possible elimination of data caps -- in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“This crisis means that we are going to explore the expansion of telework, telehealth, and tele-education,” FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel stated Thursday.

Several hours after Rosenworcel's request, AT&T said it will suspend usage caps on home internet service, according to a report in Motherboard. The company previously imposed caps of 150 GB a month on some DSL users, 250 GB per month on some fixed wireless users, and 1 TB per month on some U-Verse subscribers.

Rosenworcel's statement came as schools across the country canceled in-person classes in favor of online education.

“We need to explore how we can facilitate public-private partnerships and consumer education campaigns to expand the reach of connectivity as quickly as possible at little or no-cost to Americans who are impacted by the coronavirus,” Rosenworcel added. “Where data caps are in place, we need to explore how those limitations can be eliminated.”

The shift toward distance learning could pose obstacles for people who lack fast or reliable broadband connections. The FCC estimates that around 21 million Americans lack access to broadband, but others put the figure higher. For instance, BroadbandNow estimates that around 42 million Americans lack broadband connections.

Home broadband providers including Comcast and Cox impose data caps that could affect people's ability to stream video, while most wireless providers throttle broadband under certain circumstances, even when subscribers have “unlimited data” plans. AT&T, for instance, recently rolled out “unlimited” wireless data plans that throttle users after they consume more than either 50 GB or 100 GB of data -- but the throttling only occurs when the network is congested.

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