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FCC orders T-Mobile to stop covering up how slow your connection is

Published Nov 25th, 2014 3:03PM EST
T-Mobile Data Throttling Speed Test

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T-Mobile’s move to hide throttled customers’ actual data speeds has just been shot down. Per Ars Technica, the Federal Communications Commission this week said that T-Mobile can no longer exempt speed test results from its wireless data caps.

RELATED: T-Mobile stirs up net neutrality debate again, but AT&T’s plans are even worse

Previously, T-Mobile lifted data cap restrictions on speed tests so that customers who exceeded their monthly LTE data limits would get speed test results that would show them what their speeds were like at LTE levels and not the 128Kbps speeds they were actually getting.

“As part of the agreement, T-Mobile will send text messages to customers that will enable them to more easily get accurate speed information, place direct links to accurate speed tests on customer handsets, and revamp its website disclosures to provide clearer information about the speeds customers actually experience,” the FCC explained. “Currently, customers who have their speeds reduced after exceeding their monthly high-speed data cap cannot easily understand the results of exempted speed tests. When these customers run speed tests that T-Mobile has exempted from data caps, they receive information about T-Mobile’s full network speed and not the actual reduced speed available to these customers at that time.”

T-Mobile has 60 days to comply with the FCC’s order so if you frequently run over your data limits on T-Mobile, you should expect to start seeing text messages letting you know that your speeds are getting throttled within the next two months.

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.