FCC makes T-Mobile provide more information on throttling

In an agreement with the FCC, T-Mobile has agreed to give their customers more information about their internet speeds to make it more obvious when they have been throttled, especially for data-heavy users who tend to rely a lot on T-Mobile’s network to download media content, stream music and videos, and so on. T-Mobile has said that they will be sending customers text messages when they hit their monthly high-speed data allotment, and they will also be receiving another text message from the carrier when they have exceeded that allotment. 

T-Mobile has reached an agreement with the Federal Communications Commission to give consumers more information about their Internet speeds — especially when they’re subject to throttling because they’ve reached their high-speed data limits. The “uncarrier” said it would send customers timely text messages when they approach their monthly high-speed data allotment, and again when they exceed the cap. T-Mobile also agreed to provide a link to a speed test that would measure the actual speed to a consumer’s device. T-Mobile has provided third-party applications that allow consumers to measure the speed of their wireless Internet connection without using their high-speed data allotments. But these apps provide information about T-Mobile’s full network speed — not the actual speed to the device. The FCC said it was concerned that the existing speed test apps might confuse consumers, particularly those whose data speeds would drop to either 128 kbps or 64 kbps once they hit their monthly high-speed data limit under the Simple Choice plans.