AT&T FTC refunds roverview:
- Who: Nearly $6.3 million in FTC refunds will be issued to customers who had unlimited plans allegedly subjected to AT&T throttling.
- Why: The partial refunds will be issued as part of a 2019 AT&T settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over allegations AT&T promised customers unlimited data plans but slowed down their connectivity after a certain amount of data was used in a billing cycle.
- Where: The settlement documents were filed in California federal court.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will issue close to $6.3 million in partial FTC refunds to AT&T customers who signed up for unlimited plans as part of an AT&T settlement reached in 2019.
The AT&T throttling settlement resolves claims the telecommunications company misled consumers by failing to adequately notify them that unlimited data plans would be subjected to slower connections after a certain amount of data use was reached in a billing cycle.
The AT&T throttling allegedly affected the functionality of mobile data applications, rendering commonly used services like video streaming and web browsing to become “difficult or nearly impossible to use,” the FTC said in a statement.
AT&T has already paid approximately $52 million of the $60 million AT&T settlement, Law360 reports. The payment was in the form of bill credits to current AT&T customers or refund checks to former customers. A new round of FTC refunds will be issued soon; consumers who filed a claim should keep an eye on their mailboxes or PayPal accounts because they may soon receive FTC refunds from the AT&T settlement.
AT&T throttling on unlimited data plans began in 2011, FTC alleged
The FTC initially filed the AT&T throttling lawsuit in 2014 over allegations AT&T began throttling data speeds in 2011 for customers with unlimited data plans after they used as little as 2GB of data during a billing period. More than 3.5 million customers were affected by AT&T throttling, according to the FTC.
AT&T vigorously fought against the FTC lawsuit, arguing the agency was overstepping its authority in bringing the suit.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ultimately determined the FTC had jurisdiction and could challenge AT&T’s alleged data throttling practices. AT&T said it would not appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
AT&T says it ceased the alleged data throttling practices long before the FTC approved the settlement in 2019.
The latest FTC refunds from the AT&T settlement will be sent to consumers who filed a valid claim but have not yet received payment. Checks should be cashed within 90 days and PayPal payments must be redeemed within 30 days, the FTC says.
The claims period for the AT&T settlement closed May 18, 2023.
Did you pay for an unlimited data plan that was affected by AT&T throttling? Tell us about your experience in the comments.
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347 thoughts onPartial FTC refunds head to AT&T customers as part of throttling settlement
I have AT&T and this is still going on in Illinois anyway! I also never received communication where I could be apart of the suit.
Please add me . We had the Internet and most of the time it would run slow and took forever to get it up.
I still have att
Yes for a long time they did that. I would have to renew my plan earlier than it’s due date so my phone would work
I never received a notification that I could file a claim because I was affected and this isn’t right for me not to be able to collect from this company
Though I am a current shareholder of at&t I have to participate in this class action lawsuit being it is hacked and need to be reported to the ftc such like many other matters suchlike boost mobile.
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It would slowdown so long until you would have to turn your phone off and restart it.
I paid 100 dollars for unlimited and still was charged more money because we was going over. My question is how if it unlimited. I had to still pay the 100 because it was best way for my family but still mis leading but I believe you need to check your bill always because everytime we get out bill there something on it that we question .
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I am still being throttled every night and morning, and I have tons of scans and test results to prove it. Every single day. And I have the 95 premium unlimited lie of a plan. I also paid more for an unlocked phone, and am charged extra for 5g days. But yet the turn 5g on/off is greyed out in my settings on Galaxy ultra phone. But my flip 5 phone and other android they are not greyed out. Why am I forced to pay more for 5g but when I have bad signal I can’t turn it off to use 4g? I must let the att auto decide where I connect. That’s horse shit. I paid for an unlocked phone also. But I cannot use other carriers esims on a dual sim phone either? This entire mobile phone carrier industry is a scam
Thanks to Top Class Actions, I was able to contact the Consumer Credit Attorney’s who handled my case of fraud on the three credit score bureaus. The fraudulent information has been removed and my score is now in the 800’s.