Mobile Hotspot: Special Feature or Required by Law?

Isn't Verizon required by law to offer tethering/mobile hotspot service on capable devices at no extra charge?

The reason I ask is that while I wade through Verizon's different plans, whether on Verizon's website, their company-owned stores, or on the phone with a Verizon rep, I come across plans where tethering is offered and plans where tethering is not offered. If your device has the necessary hardware, isn't Verizon required to provide tethering, whether or not it's specifically advertised as a feature?

Accepted answers

ttipgem

Read this.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57485518-94/what-verizons-fcc-tethering-settlement-means-to-you-faq/

All comments

Ann154

The Share Everything Plans has the tethering included. It's the older plans where is gets fuzzy. If you have the unlimited data, then it is definitely an extra fee and separate feature.

Cruser2008

If you have Android and are on unlimited just search for Hotspot applications, Foxfi is the best, one time charge of about $7 for unlimited use.

Ann154

Cruser2008 wrote:
If you have Android and are on unlimited just search for Hotspot applications, Foxfi is the best, one time charge of about $7 for unlimited use.

You still need the mobile hotspot feature on your plan with the unlimited data plan. Otherwise you would be stealing.

CellDaddy

Correct...my question is about the mobile hotspot feature, not the app you run to use it.

I'm also not asking about plans that offered unlimited data or any other 'old' plan. I'm asking about smartphone plans currently offered (in October, 2013) by Verizon. From my reading, I believe that - if your phone has the necessary hardware - Verizon cannot prevent you from tethering your phone and cannot charge extra for that privilege.

If you want to buy a tethering app from Verizon, of course Verizon is entitled to charge whatever it wants for the app. And if you want to have a separate allocation of data for the exclusive purpose of tethering, in addition to your regular data plan, Verizon is permitted to charge whatever it feels like for that extra data.

But if you have a phone with the necessary hardware already built in, my understanding is that Verizon Wireless cannot prevent you from using your smartphone's data allowance for tethering and cannot charge you extra for the privilege of tethering. That should be true whether you're on Share Everything, Edge, a prepaid plan or any other plan currently available from Verizon Wireless.

Why, then, do plans like Share Everything explicitly advertise a mobile hotspot feature while other plans do not? And why will a Verizon rep tell you that this plan has tethering and that plan does not have tethering?

Ann154

Which other plans are you refer to besides the Share Everything Plans?

ttipgem

Read this.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57485518-94/what-verizons-fcc-tethering-settlement-means-to-you-faq/

Cruser2008

That would be true, however Verizon can't tell the difference between data use and you don't have to have the hotspot feature from Verizon to run those applications on unlimited data. They can't see if you're using the phone as a hotspot or watching Netflix or YouTube from the phone.

CellDaddy

Hold on...something just came to my attention:

I have been using the terms "mobile hotspot" and "tethering" interchangeably, but they may not actually mean the same thing.

On AT&T's website, "tethering" means establishing a one-to-one relationship with a wire; for example: attaching a smartphone to a tablet with a wire. "Mobile hotspot" means establishing a one-to-many relationship wirelessly; for example: connecting a smartphone with two tablets wirelessly.

I don't know whether the distinction exists only in AT&T's opinion, or whether there really is a distinction between "mobile hotspot" and "tethering". If so, it seems like an artificial distinction - what does it matter whether you connect your smartphone to one device or many devices (presuming your smartphone has the necessary hardware built in)?

If there really is a distinction: Is Verizon Wireless required by law to allow only a 1-to-1 connection, or is it also required by law to allow a 1-to-many connection?

dimap52

Carriers in most countries do not charge for tethering/hotspot at all. The FCC really fell down on this. They should make tethering charges ILLEGAL on all carriers. Tethering is NOT a service, it is a networking application use of which carriers should NOT be legally allowed to charge for under any circumstances on any data plan whatsoever. This shouldn't be a mater of one carrier on one band of spectrum. This should apply equally to ALL carriers and all bands.

ttipgem

Which has nothing to do with this thread since this thread is discussing Verizon which DOES allow it.