It's my life, you're just along for the ride!

Bad news for AT&T customers with a grandfathered unlimited data plan: starting October 1st, the carrier’s going to squelch speeds for what it’s calling the “top 5 percent of heaviest data users.” We’re not sure what it takes to become one of the elite, but AT&T suggests that you’d have to be “streaming very large amounts of video and music daily” to be considered for a cap, and that even unlucky users will receive multiple notices of their allegedly bad behavior and receive a grace period. Still, it puts AT&T in the unenviable position of being seen handcuffing its users at every turn. With AT&T, your choices as a consumer will be these: capped DSL and U-Verse landline connections, tiered cellular plans up to 4GB, or a supposedly “unlimited” grandfathered (or dumbphone) connection with potentially throttled speeds. That’s not to say that AT&T’s alone in forgetting what words mean, though — T-Mobile’s notoriously been throttling for months, even as it likes to call its plans “truly unlimited” in polite company.

via AT&T will throttle “unlimited” cellular data plans on October 1st | This is my next….

AT&T today officially confirmed what so many had expected for some time now: the carrier will be throttling select users’ unlimited data plans. The move, which takes effect on October 1st, is a response to a “serious wireless spectrum crunch,” according to a message issued today. The changes will not affect most customers, according to the company, primarily targeting those who fall within the top five percent of heavy users in a given billing cycle. Once the new period begins, speeds will be restored. Even with this new plan in place, however, the company says that the spectrum problems still won’t be resolved — it does have a simple solution, however, explaining that “nothing short of completing the T-Mobile merger will provide additional spectrum capacity to address these near term challenges.” Full text after the break.

via AT&T announces throttling plans, gently reminds us why the T-Mobile acquisition is so great — Engadget.