AT&T retracts new terms of service, apologizes
By Nilay Patel 
posted Apr 3rd 2009 7:08PM
posted Apr 3rd 2009 7:08PM
Looks like the uproar over AT&T's recently-tweaked wireless terms of service banning video streaming and p2p activity caused some hasty rethinking in Dallas -- the company just sent us this statement:The language added on March 30 to AT&T's wireless data service Terms and Conditions was done in error. It was brought to our attention and we have since removed it. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Well, that settles that, at least for now -- high fives all around, Internet friends.
score 1 for the little guy
Score 1 for now but this just let's us know they are thinking about it enough to right up terms for it. Which is quite lame.
i still say get friggin lasers....
Yeah score one for the little guy getting his phone tapped by NSAT&T. I won't do business with these assholes and it has little to do with their shitty prices, network, or terms. It's all about the treason, baby.
http://www.eff.org/nsa/faq#37
"in error" as in we erred in assuming how big of douches we could be.
130,000 att employees going on strike Saturday night in 22 states!!!!!!
For now yes. But I have absolutely no hope for the future: They will just try it again when not as many people are watching.
Why can't Internet provider just do what they should do? Provide us the Internet access, don't 'traffic shape', 'filter', 'deep packed inspect', 'censor' or 'spy' on us. It shouldn't be that hard should it?
Sebastian, they can't effectively try again, otherwise they have to ban lots of apps people use from the App Store and risk pissing off iPhone users. Not only that but many of their TV phones stream video, although likely through only their servers. They also allow streaming radio apps in their branded ROMs. Their own apps violate their new "terms of service".
Someone else mentioned that there may even have been a problem with Google Maps due to that telemetry device part. I don't know if that's true or not, but you do have to start questioning what kind of data IS allowed under those new terms. Those terms said they would mainly allow only surfing, email and download of "legal" media(meaning their crap or stuff from iTunes likely), but that seriously limits the usage of a device you paid for that has data. Those restrictions were just out of hand!!
I did just realized they could rewrite the terms to exclude all their and Apple approved apps, but ban all others. We'll see. Keep an eye on them.
they didn't change anything.
http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/legal/plan-terms.jsp
This means, by way of example only, that checking email, surfing the Internet, downloading legally acquired songs, and/or visiting corporate intranets is permitted, but downloading movies using P2P file sharing services, customer initiated redirection of television or other video or audio signals via any technology from a fixed location to a mobile device, web broadcasting, and/or for the operation of servers, telemetry devices and/or Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition devices is prohibited. Furthermore, plans(unless specifically designated for tethering usage) cannot be used for any applications that tether the device (through use of, including without limitation, connection kits, other phone/PDA-to computer accessories, Bluetooth® or any other wireless technology) to Personal Computers (including without limitation, laptops), or other equipment for any purpose
Oh wow?
lol error
Error my rear.
They just wanted money... They couldn't handle the amount of people droping there contracts or reducing there plans to Minutes and Texting.
Loosely translated thousands of angry customers did not like our new terms so it is therefore an error. I mean who accidentally adds a few paragraphs to a terms of service?
There are no errors in contracts. They can spend years hammering them out to their liking.
lol internet friends? lame
*high fives imaginary friend sitting next to me because i dont have any real friends because I read engadget*
You do not lack friends because you read Engadget. You read Engadget because you lack friends.
Well I read engadget and I have friends and I give them high fives as well as you guys lol. We will win AT&T.
My imaginary friend left me because I read Engadget too much...
What uproar? E-mails? Would they really cave or was it honestly a mistake I wonder.
Might've had something to do with the anti-competitive practices investigation by the FCC...
http://www.pcworld.com/article/162593/fcc_asked_to_investigate_skype_for_iphone_restriction.html
Maybe they decided this wasn't the best moment to run around trying to limit what you can do with an internet connection MORE, just because it comes through a cellphone rather than a wireline.
Yeah Boy! Burn.... feel the nerd wrath!
The are no accidents in policy changes
seriously. "done in error"?? yeah right
They push, we shove, they cave......WTF! Seriously.....can a company just do something because it's good for their customers? I can't stand these crappy policy changes to then just turn around and retract their policies because of customer outrage. *cough*, FaceBook, *cough*. We pay you f-ers for services (or look at ads).....just give us what we want, your making enough $$$$$$. SHIT!
Exactly. Like something as vital as a TOS for a major carrier just gets changed without the approval of a dozen people. BS excuse. Just say "Our bad. We're listening to our customers and we've decided to reinstate the previous TOS"
niiiice
... and this weekend someone who used to work for A&T is looking for a new job...
weird... i just left at&t last month, and im looking at jobs....
STALKER!!!
How do you do that "in error", apparently without knowing it?
Also: I keep getting sodding cookie errors and having to trash my Engadget cookies before I can view the page. Using Safari 4, but no problems with TUAW...?
Oh yeah, totally sorry about how (those terms/my hand/my wang) ended up in your (contract/pocket/vagina). I don't know how that could have happened. Just an oversight, I assure you. Won't happen again!
Dude, get your wang out of my contract RIGHT NOW
WIN!
whew - *wipe away sweat bead*
Wow! How cool is that? Now if only TWC come out and say that their metered test in Austin, San Antonio, Rochester & Greensboro was a big April Fool's Day prank all would be right with the world...
True true true... I hope you are RIGHT...
PEOPLE THINK ABOUT THIS.................Customer initiated will/should not mean using an app approved by apple in the app store. It isn't "customer initiated" it is using a company approved app the way it was meant too. "Customer initiated" would be something that you streamed from a website in the mpeg4/h.264 format. Am I the only one that sees it this way? YouTube, Orb, Pandora ..........none of these will be banned and were not violating the new (now old) TOS. My two cents.
PEOPLE FOR THE WIN!!!!!!!! FIGHT THE POWER!!!!
I say we just pick something else reasonable they have on their TOS and threaten to leave.
Consumer Tyranny FTW!
Now if we can just get them to admit they made a similar error where it says we must pay $0.25 per text message.
It's plain robbery
....maybe they fear the pending contract renewals from millions of iphone users??
someone just got fired....
The stupid thing is, the PR fallout will probably be bigger from this than the actual TOS.
Done in error my ***! At least they've relented.
This goes to show how arbitrary so many of those ToS rules are. They're added just because someone in a conference room decides it's a good idea to cover their butts with excessive rules that they have no intention of enforcing and for actions they know that people are going to do anyway (and they're OK with it.)
It's all just CYA
I think the fear of congress going after them for excessive use limits has them thinking twice.
*done in error of judgment
i wish sling would learn how to fix a customer relations fiasco like this
My thoughts exactly. I just canceled my DISH today... the whole Sling event has gotten me soooo angry.
Pfiuuu, that was really close!
Why, oh why, must these companies continue to try to pull fast ones with their TOS?
They got scared and they pissed their pants when they read our over 300 comments.
SUCK IT.
Steve Jobs made a phone call. Fixed.
THATS RIGHT RUN BITCH RUN . ERROR MY ASS ATT SAW HOW MAD PEOPLE WERE AND TOOK IT BACK SIMPLE AND EASY
damn right
It's a good thing. First time I considered jumping ship.
I'm glad ATT saw the light.
Apple saw this and Steve said "HELL NO!"
At&t is old
like real old
like early 1900's old
That's more like it... they got that apology right...
BAM, gotta love the internets.
thats basically the nice way of at&t saying "early april fools, bitches"
It wasn't an error, they were just jumping the gun. They are going to fight tooth and nail to ban other service providers (telephone, television, etc) from providing services over their networks, even though that's what the customer wants/pays for. They are anti-competitive and want to maintain monopolies on telephone and television services within their distinct markets. Capitalism does not work without competition.
If they're worried about their network being saturated by high bandwidth applications, then apply speed caps that match the total number of users divided by the available bandwidth. You don't have to discriminate against different packets of data to provide good quality of service.
Capitalism FTW!
I totally just spent 35 minutes on the phone with them about it. This coulda saved me my time.
Someone will read your TOS and the internet will find out. Why do companies continue to try and slip shit past consumers like this?
AT&T 0
Teh Interwebz 1
win.
If they change the terms of service in the middle of my contract, I can reject that change and not have to pay an early termination fee. Hmm.. might be worth it..
If only that were true - look at your contract, they can change it any time they want, and you have zero rights.
GOD BLESS THE INTERNETS!!!
Between this and Apple giving me $100 back on the first iPhone, I could almost cry...
BIG thanks to engadget and all the other tech sites for giving us little folks a voice!!!
Now where's my slingplayer mobile app?!?
lol
They're just afraid that they will wither away into insignificance. But a good for one us! Someone finally listened.
Dear AT&T,
Thanks, but go fuck yourselves, anyway.
Respectfully,
Your customers.
This is VERY UPSETTING as I just bought a Slingbox to get TV on my phone and now they are making that illegal
I left AT&T anyway lol. They don't get my money anymore, that contract is outrageous. I love my iphone but 82 beans a month that "mysteriously" goes over all the time? Snip snip, I cut the ropes baby. Some luxuries are lost, but the dough is in my pocket.
something i actually find shocking to find out is not an april fools joke.
LOL, AT&T is a joke. I have been tethering my IPhone 3G to my laptop for 4 months now and they have no clye whatsoever. They are full of hot air!
RT
www.anon-tools.cz.tc
Well, looks like at&t was threatened by Steve Jobs that the new Terms of Service would mean end of at&t exclusivity with iPhone 3G.
Looks like Apple might have something coming up that involves streaming your TV to your iPhone via Apple TV.
They'll be back.
The terms are still the same and they've changed nothing.
http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/legal/plan-terms.jsp
As a matter of fact, they're in bold.
This means, by way of example only, that checking email, surfing the Internet, downloading legally acquired songs, and/or visiting corporate intranets is permitted, but downloading movies using P2P file sharing services, customer initiated redirection of television or other video or audio signals via any technology from a fixed location to a mobile device, web broadcasting, and/or for the operation of servers, telemetry devices and/or Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition devices is prohibited. Furthermore, plans(unless specifically designated for tethering usage) cannot be used for any applications that tether the device (through use of, including without limitation, connection kits, other phone/PDA-to computer accessories, Bluetooth® or any other wireless technology) to Personal Computers (including without limitation, laptops), or other equipment for any purpose
Yea they are exactly the same as when I first read it this afternoon. Whaaa..??
AT&T: "Oh, I'm sorry! Did I try to stick my dick up your ass? My bad."
Me: "Bring that flaccid member in my vicinity one more time, and I'll lop it off."
Has anyone used the changed ToS to get out of an iPhone contract? Ideally I'd cancel the contract and just go month-to-month. I'm really thinking about it. As much as I like my iPhone, I'd like the flexibility of being able to buy an 2nd generation Android in the next few months without paying a penalty..
Hey AT&T, today's lesson is that you cannot cover your ass using only your HEAD. It tends to have the opposite effect...
SWEET!
I called them around 3pm and tied up a couple of their reps for at least 1/2 hour on this. They insisted they weren't actually going to enforce the terms, so I told them it's ridiculous to have them and this was pushing me to Verizon.
I'm sure I'm not the only one.. so good work to all who called into uproar!!
I wonder if they'll still call me back to explain.
130,000 att employees go on strike as of Saturday night!!!!!!
I went to an AT&T store in person this evening, to protest. They didn't even know about the new terms of service announcement until people started coming in to complain. They did say that there was to be an update, apparently this is it.
LMFAO!!!!! i bet people were canceling like crazy!!! damn AT&T!
I guess this is just corporate America's idea of an April Fool's prank.
Anyone else think this could have been a late, messed up April fools joke?
@ glenn s
Apparently yes. Maybe good timing would've helped.
It's amazing that T-Mobile can offer $50/mo wireless data unlimited when ATT charges $60 for only 5 gigs. Too bad T-Mo coverage sucks where I work lol.
Damn T-Mo has changed to the 5gb c(r)ap model too now! Greedy cell providers.
At least its $1 cheaper.
hahaha..the internet scared the sh*t out of them
Umm... click here: http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/legal/plan-terms.jsp
And then scroll down the page to the "Prohibited and Permissible Uses:" section...
It's still there and they haven't "since removed" anything.
You'd think the carriers would have learned by now that nobody is going to pay them a "tax" to stream media provided by someone else. The minute one of them decides to try this, they'll be hemorrhaging customers. If they all conspired to do it at the same time, somebody would be rolling out a new wireless "dumb pipe" within a week. And they would make a mint.
Now, if cellphones are not provider-locked in the first place, ...
They were probably trying to find ways to recoup their fee hikes Obama is charging for satellites from $50M a year to $500M a year...so much for that delusional HOPE. That hike is equivalent to 10,000 jobs paying $50K a year. Way to go on the job front too.
well who'd a thunk it? maybe they don't hate their customers.
As soon as you can get the iphone to be fully functional on another US carrier then Im leaving shitty AT&T