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If tiered data pricing is stopping you from downloading to your heart's content, AT&T says there may be a solution.

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said content providers want to pay for consumer access, which means "toll free'' data plans are a likely development in the next 12 months, FierceWireless reported today.

Stephenson said the plans would exclude certain types of content from counting toward a customer's monthly data allotment. He made the statement at an investor conference.

Customers are starting to avoid some data-heavy content in response to tiered data pricing, and Stephenson'… Read more

Broadband data caps were a hot topic this week as Comcast and Verizon Wireless separately talked up upcoming changes to their policies. So how will these data cap tweaks affect consumers?

In short, Comcast's move, which increases its existing cap from 250GB to 300GB and now imposes an overage fee for those who exceed the cap, is likely a positive for its subscribers. Even the consumer advocates who typically hate the idea of data caps applauded the company for improving the policy. Meanwhile, Verizon's new plan, which will force existing subscribers "grandfathered" on its unlimited data … Read more

Comcast, the largest cable TV and Internet broadband provider in the U.S., is changing its data cap policy on its broadband service to encourage its customers to use its service without worrying about how much data they are consuming.

Today, the company announced in a blog post that it will soon begin testing a new pricing model for customers who use an "excessive" amount of data each month. In these markets, the company will increase the cap, which is now 250GB per month, to 300GB per month. And when customers exceed this cap, the company will charge … Read more

In a letter to investors today, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings suggested that Comcast was competing unfairly in the streaming-video sector.

As part of his company's first-quarter earnings report, Hastings wrote that Comcast was providing the company's Xfinity Web-video service a competitive advantage not offered to Netflix or other competitors.

"Comcast caps its residential broadband customers at 250 gigabytes per month," Hastings wrote. "On the Xbox the Netflix app, the Hulu app, and the HBO GO app, are all subject to this cap. But Comcast has decided that its own Xfinity Xbox app is not subject … Read more

It's no secret that Reed Hastings doesn't think too highly of Comcast.

The Netflix chief executive, who has previously criticized the cable giant's claims that it costs the company a lot to deliver Internet video, fired another salvo Sunday, slamming the company's policy on Net neutrality and data caps.

As he explained on his Facebook page, his complaint is that when Comcast subscribers watch Netflix, Hulu, or HBO Go on their Xbox consoles, it counts against their monthly data limits. However, subscribers who use Xfinity don't have their limits dinged, suggesting that Comcast is giving … Read more

Apple's market capitalization crossed the $600 billion mark earlier today, setting a record for the company and nearing that of one of its biggest rivals.

Shares of the company's stock reached $644 in intraday trading. Per Dow Jones, the stock needs to close above $643.52 to reach the magic $600 billion number.

Market capitalization is defined as the value of shares times the number of shares outstanding. Apple passed previous market cap champ Exxon on that metric last year, and is now nearing the $619 billion market cap record set by rival Microsoft on December 30, 1999. … Read more

AT&T has clarified its "throttling" policy for its unlimited data customers who the company says use too much bandwidth. But many users are still confused and angry.

In this Ask Maggie, I explain why the new policy--though still annoying and not customer-friendly--is actually a better deal than what unlimited data subscribers had been getting. Also in this edition of Ask Maggie, I explain why Verizon and Sprint may still not be the best carriers if you plan on taking your phone on your travels with you.

AT&T's throttling mess

Dear Maggie, I am … Read more

From 2003 to 2010, NASA satellites systematically measured all of Earth's melting glacial ice--the results added up to 4.3 trillion tons of water and a global sea level rise of half an inch.

Put in perspective, that's enough ice to bury the entire U.S. 1.5-feet deep.

These calculations are detailed in a new study released today by a team of scientists at the University of Colorado. The scientists used satellite measurements from the NASA Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), which launched in 2002 and focused on how melting ice from glaciers and ice caps … Read more

It would be counter-productive to make voice, text, and data roaming too cheap, Telefonica has argued in response to strict new proposals by a member of the European Parliament.

Excessively low retail caps would make it too unprofitable for new investors to enter the European mobile market, and stymie the Commission's goal of increasing competition, Telefonica regulatory chief Robert Mourik told a European Parliament debate on Tuesday.

"Don't prescribe a structural solution if you don't think it will work in the first place," Mourik said, referring to less stringent proposals put forward by the European Commission. &… Read more