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AT&T CEO Sets Off iPhone Rebellion
By
Jen Carlson
Published Dec 18, 2009
Modified Dec 18, 2009
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Dec 18, 2009
Modified Dec 18, 2009
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AT&T Mobility President and CEO Ralph de la Vega stated at a conference in New York that the company was studying ways to encourage high-bandwidth users to modify their usage. Like, uh, usage-based pricing maybe? Though he didn't say as much, he hinted at it as a future solution if the industry can't find a fix. At the same conference he finally admitted that New York's service is not up to par, and today AT&T's PR firm sent out a release stating that "AT&T has suffered in New York and San Francisco from better than average iPhone penetration. In these two cities, AT&T has been too successful in selling the iPhone, to the point where the network has been severely strained."
After the conference it was the "bandwidth hogs" that de la Vega put the fear into, however, as they rebelled against the idea of limited usage. As such, this guy started Operation Chokehold. Has your coverage been worse today? That may be why. Reportedly, "the scheme is aimed at bringing AT&T's wireless data network to a crawl Friday afternoon as a protest against plans by AT&T to impose fees on iPhone users who use what the company considers too much bandwidth."
The rebellion's fearless leader is also talking coverage, which seems to be a more immediate problem. He wonders why AT&T has taken in "billions of dollars in revenue from these new customers, but instead of plowing that money into building out their network, they’ve held the money back and applied it to earnings — lining their own pockets and looking after their investors instead of looking after customers." They did say they were too successful in selling product in that press release, after all. While there's no covert Operation battling dropped calls, there is this iPhone app to report where coverage sucks.
Tagged
at&t
cellphone service
coverage
iphone
Operation Chokehold
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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