Still happily humming along with your grandfathered unlimited data plan on Verizon? If so, you may want to put down the smartphone for just a minute and pay attention. A new page on Verizon's website shows that the carrier has seemingly begun throttling optimizing the data of its heaviest users, a move that we were first tipped off to back in February. According to the page, the top five percent of the heaviest data users (consuming 2GB or more per month) with a 3G device and unlimited data plan will have their speeds slowed when connected to a congested 3G cell site. Verizon says that it will alert subscribers that are at risk of having their data speeds slowed through bill messages and on My Verizon. Customers with a 4G LTE device or a tiered data plan won't be affected.
Although we're never thrilled about seeing a carrier slowing the data speeds of its customers, the good news here is that it seems that customers will only see their speeds affected if they fall into a pretty specific set of criteria. Still, for those Verizon folk rocking an unlimited plan and a 3G device, this is still worth keeping in mind. What do you all make of Verizon's "Network Optimization" program? Are you upset by the move or is it no big deal?
Via MobileBurn, Verizon