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Free hotspot on 4G phones??

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pauly814

Well-Known Member
I'm hearing different things about free hotspot feature on 4G phones because of some rule from the FCC.

Does Verizon offer this? Is there any info about this?
 
pauly814 said:
I'm hearing different things about free hotspot feature on 4G phones because of some rule from the FCC.

Does Verizon offer this? Is there any info about this?
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If you have a tiered data plan (ie if you have a plan with 2/4/8gb of data) then you can tether for free. If you have a grandfathered unlimited plan, then you would legally have to pay for a tethering plan.
 
euph_22 said:
If you have a tiered data plan (ie if you have a plan with 2/4/8gb of data) then you can tether for free. If you have a grandfathered unlimited plan, then you would legally have to pay for a tethering plan.
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Please check your facts before posting.

You CANNOT tether on a tiered data plan as stated UNLESS you pay for the Mobile Hotspot feature which, I believe, is $30 more a month.

However, on the Share Everything plans, Mobile Hotspot is included in that.
 
xTye said:
Please check your facts before posting.

You CANNOT tether on a tiered data plan as stated UNLESS you pay for the Mobile Hotspot feature which, I believe, is $30 more a month.

However, on the Share Everything plans, Mobile Hotspot is included in that.
Click to expand...

Did you even bother researching this before you posted?
Verizon to pay $1.25M FCC fine; forced to allow tethering apps | Politics and Law - CNET News
How everyone benefits from Verizon’s FCC-mandated free tethering | ExtremeTech
FCC Gets Verizon To Stop Blocking Tethering Apps On Tiered Data Plans | Pocketnow
FCC Gets Verizon To Stop Blocking Tethering Apps On Tiered Data Plans | Pocketnow
Verizon Can't Tether You to Overpriced Service Any More: FCC - MainStreet
FCC to Verizon: Don’t block tethering apps. Verizon settles for $1.25M — Mobile Technology News

Oh, and last but not least the Customer Agreement
You may use Mobile Hotspot or any other Wi-Fi hotspot or tethering service to use your smartphone or basic phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot or to tether it to your computer or tablet. If you subscribe to a data plan or package with an unlimited data allowance, there is an additional monthly fee to do so.
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Thus if you aren't on unlimited, there is no fee.

But thanks for playing.
 
Doesn't the FCC ruling only apply to 4G phones? 3G phones have to pay for tethering but 4G phones do not. However whether you have a 3G or 4G phone, you still must abide by the data plan limits that you have.

However, I could be wrong, it was just the way I initially inturpreted (sp?) the ruleing.
 
dirkbonn said:
Doesn't the FCC ruling only apply to 4G phones? 3G phones have to pay for tethering but 4G phones do not. However whether you have a 3G or 4G phone, you still must abide by the data plan limits that you have.

However, I could be wrong, it was just the way I initially inturpreted (sp?) the ruleing.
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Technically yes it does, but Verizon decided to make all tethering free for tiered customers. Rest assured they didn't do it out of generosity.
 
So if you are on 4G, unlimited, VZW can (and does) still charge an extra fee to use THEIR tethering app.

However, if you choose to use a tethering app not provided by VZW, VZW legally can not prevent you from doing so.
 
jasoraso said:
So if you are on 4G, unlimited, VZW can (and does) still charge an extra fee to use THEIR tethering app.

However, if you choose to use a tethering app not provided by VZW, VZW legally can not prevent you from doing so.
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Ignore the "which app do I use" question. That's a red herring.

Tethering is a service. If you are on unlimited, you have to pay for that service and Verizon can legally require you to pay. Once you pay, you can access that service anyway you want but you have to pay either way.
 
You are paying for x amount of data. The FCC says you can use that data however you wish. This includes tethering it to another device
 
euph_22 said:
He specifically asked about unlimited data. So the FCC ruling doesn't apply.
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I was replying to the OP, which still hasn't returned. If someone asked about unlimited DATA then they aren't paying for "x" amount and my statement doesn't apply
 
Yep, technically you would still need to pay. But eh, if tethering illegitimately makes me a terrible person, than so be it.
 
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