Will Tethering Soon be Free?
I read this and have to wonder if the tide is really beginning to shift on the tethering debate. I'm an AT&T customer - with the (grandfathered) unlimited data plan, and I have always wondered why I wasn't able to transfer bits on my phone to my MacBook Pro? After all, Safari on my laptop vs. Safari on my phone, what's the real difference? Nothing. But that doesn't stop AT&T and Verizon from charging $20/month and forcing me off the unlimited plan. Well… maybe not for much longer.
The story is about the FCC smacking down Verizon for exactly that, and telling them to pony up $1.25 million for the practice. This means a Verizon iPhone will be able to be tethered for free. Sweet. I wonder if AT&T will go along, or if they will wait for the FCC to hit them with a million dollar fine before changing their policy.
I'm thinking it's only a matter of a few months before I can tether my MacBook Pro to my iPhone for no extra cost. That's going to be a sweet deal for the times I'm on the train and want to check mail or commit a change. Very nice indeed.