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LAist is on the road a lot. A LOT. LAist is on the Internet a lot. A LOT! In fact it's our job to be on the web.
So last month we invested $125 on our new BFF, a Verizon EVDO modem that slips into our laptop and allows us close-to-DSL speeds from anywhere that gets good cell reception. The $60 a month fee has definitely seemed worth the $2 a day, because there's nothing better than knowing that you are truly connected pretty much anywhere.
We had heard rumors that Verizon canceled some customers' EVDO after their usage numbers showed that they *gasp* actually used the Internet -- streaming music, watching videos on YouTube, uploading photos onto websites like this one, listening to things like Howard Stern on sirius.com. Because of those whisperings, we try to limit use of those things on our laptop and EVDO and frankly, it hurts the experience.
But what would be worse is if we lost our beloved EVDO, even if it was yanked away from us based on a lie. The promise was Unlimited; if it is indeed Limited, Verizon should tell us what the limit is and give us a warning or two when we're about to approach it. Hate to be all Web 2.0 on your ass.
Today Consumer Affairs.com posted about how their service was cut for actually using the Internet.
ConsumerAffairs.com suggests that if one advertises broadband speeds, they shouldn't punish customers for using it in broadband ways.
With the advent of websites such as YouTube, MLB.tv and Google Video, streaming video and even, watching sports online, has become a common practice for many people who pay extra money for that lightning fast broadband connection. Verizon's "unlimited" wireless broadband is hardly cheap. It's $79.99 per month if you don't have a Verizon Wireless cell phone account, $59.95 per month if you do, roughly twice as much as a residential DSL or cable Internet account.AP Photo/Xinhua, Gaesang DawaVerizon's terms and conditions hardly go out of their way to explain the limits on the company's "unlimited broadband access." Only once in the 20-page terms and conditions brochure, is the restriction explained, and then it is sunk in the final page in a sea of small font.
Under the heading, "Unlimited NationalAccess/Broadband Access," the brochure states, " data sessions may be used with wireless devices for the following purposes: (i) Internet browsing; (ii) email; and (iii) intranet access. services cannot be used: (1) for uploading, downloading or streaming of movies, music or games; (2) with server devices or with host computer applications, including, but not limited to, Web camera posts or broadcasts, automatic data feeds, Voice over IP (VoIP), automated machine-to-machine connections, or peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing."
Unlimited in Some Ways
Jeffrey Nelson, Verizon Wireless spokesman, said that calling the service, "unlimited" is not misleading.
"It's very clear in all the legal materials we put out," he said. "It's unlimited amounts of data for certain types of data," he said.
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I (heart) my Verizon EVDO modem, but alas, I do have my occassional gripes with its spotty connections and less-than-stellar speed. I suppose it's not much better than cell phone coverage.
That photo is hilarious. I wonder if the Dalai Lama uses Instant Messenger. :)
Forget Verizon. Sprint's EVDO access is faster, cheaper and truly unlimited.
You are not alone!
http://techdirt.com/articles/20060726/1926251.shtml
Well, it's been well established that Verizon are, in fact, evil pig-fuckers so this doesn't surprise me.
Sounds similiar to the class action lawsuit against Verizon when they advertised their Motorola v710 mobile phone as a "Bluetooth" phone. Many customers (like myself) purchased the phone unknowing that Verizon intentionally crippled the phone so that it was only "Bluetooth" compatible with a headset, however not with your computer. Verizon recently lost the class action suit on the grounds of false advertising. Furthermore, Verizon are notorious nickle-and-dimers and this definitely sounds like a pattern.