U-Verse question

I read about this on a blog but didn't find any legitimate news stories backing it up, so I hesitated to comment on it.

They contended that the measure was in order to protect the quality of the television side of U-Verse, which I guess could be an issue since everything's all IP-based down the pipe.  It sounds like the same bandwidth throttling and capping all the other cable and internet service providers are circling.  I would suspect it has to do with people like me who are abandoning their traditional TV services for online ones like Hulu and Netflix as well.

There's an explanation of the TOS statement here that explains it better:

http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/No-ATT-Is-Not-Throttling-UVerse...

something i just found out u need a cerdit card to get u verse
and i dont have one

RE: something i just found out

No, you don't. Proof being that I don't have credit cards. I do have U-verse.

They do run a credit check though.

A credit card is only needed if you are considered a medium-risk cusotmer based on credit score.

AT&T will "temporarily reduce" speeds for U-verse customers
By Matthew Lasar | Published: September 15, 2008 - 05:45AM CT

As AT&T disclosed at the Federal Communications Commission's summer hearing on network management practices at Carnegie Mellon University, it was rewriting its broadband service terms of service. The telco submitted them to the FCC on Thursday, and it looks like speed throttling is on the menu.

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"In order to provide a consistently high-quality video service, AT&T U-verse High Speed Internet throughput speeds may be temporarily reduced when a customer is using other U-verse services in a manner that requires high bandwidth," the new language will warn. "This could occur more often with higher speed Internet access products. It may be necessary, for some AT&T High Speed Internet users, for AT&T to set a maximum downstream speed on a customer line to enhance the reliability and consistency of performance."

The disclosure concedes that these changes "will prevent some customers from obtaining the maximum downstream speed capability," but the overall speed will not be reduced from the tier that the customer purchased, promises AT&T. U-verse offers video, phone, and broadband services in a single package, all delivered over a phone line and powered by a fiber-to-the node system.

AT&T says these new conditions will go into effect starting October 18.

The company 's current terms of service for U-verse broadband mentions that throughput speeds "may be limited at AT&T's sole discretion, and such limitation will have no effect on whether the minimum speed is met." The telco's present contract terms for DSL say that "AT&T reserves the right to monitor or change your current plan speed at any time. No minimum level of speed is guaranteed."

This new agreement language takes a stab at explaining under what circumstances a customer's bit rate could be throttled, albeit a pretty general stab, the sort of stab that might be aimed at the heart and land instead on the big toe.

At least Comcast's new bandwidth cap policy sets a specific ceiling, 250GB, with a set of examples of how much data a customer would have to move to run afoul of the policy—20,000 high-res photos, 40 million e-mails, or 8,000 movie trailers.

The problem they have is that they are cramming video signals in a device that wasn't designed for video. It's like cramming a straw inside a coffee stirer. There are going to be problems (slower surfing, loss of connection to internet and video source) until all the bugs are worked out. They can't work them out without customers, so while it may be frustrating to not be able to watch tv or get online often, the technology can't progress without customers being patient.

not sure why you posted the throttling message. It seems you are bashing on u-verse for throttling and not reading the entire message. They are going to lower your speed if necessary but it is only if you are requesting more bandwith to your television. This is a way I believe they are going to be able to in part increase the current HD stream limits along with lower bit rates.