There are many AT&T customers that have grandfathered unlimited data plans. If you decide to root (or jailbreak) your phone and use tethering apps like Barnacle, you risk losing your data plan and automatically being placed within a tethering plan. This of course would be for those that tether and are noticed by assumably using insane amounts of data from a mobile device.
In March of this year Ma Bell started sending alerts to those users illegally tethering asking them to upgrade their plan to support tethering. It seems that alerting doesn’t work and providers will be taking more extreme measures. Those found tethering illegally will now automatically be moved into a 2GB tiered data plan with a 2GB tethering package. Not only will those that had a $30 unlimited plan now have less data but they will be paying $15 more as the tiered plan is $45.
Currently there is no known date for when this will take place but we do know it will be soon and those of you that don’t stop tethering may be paying more for less service. Of course those tethering here and there and using small amounts of data will likely never be noticed but taking advantage of the loophole may kill your chances of keeping unlimited data.
We have been trying to find any way to avoid the automatic upgrade and loss of unlimited data but it seems that the only way around it is to be careful, use very little data when tethered or just stop tethering. We of course tether all the time but aren’t watching Netflix on the tethered device so should never see it come up as an issue. However if we do get alerted or even God forbid lose unlimited data we will be sure to let you all know.