I reviewed my 42 page AT&T Wireless contract and it says nothing about tethering. At any rate, I only use it when I can't find a hard Internet connection and there is nothing but encrypted wireless in the vicinity. My phone gets Internet in that case--so I use it.
As I see it (and lawyers may disagree), I no more tax their network with my tethered connection than I would by browsing straight from my phone...it's just a bit more convenient from my laptop is all.
I mentioned later in the thread that it looks like they are NOT after people like me, but rather those who turn their mobile devices into hotspots for OTHERS to use. That makes sense.
If I use my laptop via a tether and then let someone else use it, it would be the same as if I handed my phone to that person. But the hotspot apps I've seen allow as many as four people to browse the web at once, while the carrier only collect from a single subscriber.
Obviously I can't complain if my contract says anything specifically about this kind of behavior. But I thinks it's fair to point out that with my home Internet connection, I can open up my wireless to my neighbors for free. Hell, I can even ship voice, porn...nearly whatever I want across it. The carrier doesn't care.
My point was, why does an ISP in one case care so deeply while the other pretty much doesn't give a hoot as long as the bill is paid? Because 3G is clogged? And 4G will be within two years? If this is the real problem, then they should come up with a tiered rate plan. That or something equivalent to a FiOS for mobile devices. LOL.
