Mobile Hotspot: Special Feature or Required by Law?

[CellDaddy]

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?

[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 · Accepted solution]

Read this.

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

[CellDaddy]

Thank you, that answers my question.

Presuming that the author of that article knows what she's talking about, I can tether any smartphone under any currently offered Verizon Wireless plan at no extra charge if the smartphone I use has the necessary hardware built in.

I can, if I choose, use Verizon's own tethering app and plan and pay whatever fee Verizon charges for that service if I feel it's in my best interest, but I am not required to do so.

So when a plan like Share Everything explicitly mentions mobile hotspot service as a feature, it is probably referring to Verizon's own tethering app and plan. Nevertheless, whether or not an advertised plan explicitly mentions hotspot service, I am always able to download a third party mobile hotspot app and provide mobile hotspot service on my  own. If I use Verizon's own app and plan, Verizon will provide technical support as needed; if I do it on my own Verizon does not have to provide support.

[dimap52]

Yeah, I would say that pretty much nails it

[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.