I think regular use for streaming HD video easily qualifies for throttling under the network management provisions of the agreement. The question would be how much is that enforced.
[Quote]The Service may be subject to usage limits established by Clearwire, which are not controlled by Mobile Citizen…
Parties reserve the right to engage in reasonable network management to protect the overall integrity of the CLEAR network, including detecting malicious traffic patterns and attempting to prevent the distribution of viruses or other malicious code, and through techniques such as reducing the aggregate bandwidth available to excessive bandwidth users during periods of congestion. While the determination of what constitutes excessive use depends on the specific state of the network at any given time, excessive use will be determined primarily by resource consumption. For further information, please refer to the AUP. [/Quote]
Links to Clear’s Acceptable Use Policy are all 404. Clear.com now forwards you to Sprint.com.
So, it seems to me, thanks to the unilateral, zero notice modification provisions in the Calyx and Friends agreement you have to accept, the limit is whatever Sprint says it is, but won’t tell you in advance
Indeed, at the very least I came here to say: how long do you think that $400/year deal is good for? One year? Two? Because obviously it isn’t for ever. It might not even last this year.
So I just wouldn’t use that in my calculation of whether to use this service.
My cell is on Sprint, and I get 60+Mbps, though that on Speedtest. I think the ISPs clear the decks to make the numbers look good when they detect the source is from Speedtest. But the FCC app rates it at better than 40Mbps.
There may be a reason Cory didn’t mention this deal on BB a long time ago. So get the deal while the getting is good… pretty good rate for an “unlimited” (“30G+”/mo) hotspot.
On the other hand, while Boing Boing matters to me, it doesn’t matter the rest of the internet the way it used to. A mention on Boing Boing used to mean server crashes. These days, not as much. So I don’t know about Sprint lawsuits resulting from a mention on Boing Boing.
T-Mobile was specifically caught exempting speed tests from data throttling, making it difficult, if not impossible for customers to accurately detect whether they were being throttled or not on the network or measure the throttled speed. T-Mobile claimed that this was a feature for customers benefit so they could test the full speed of the network.
My CPA’s opinion… The rule book says…. You must deduct the fair market value of what you receive from the “charitable contribution”… so I’m thinking it’s not going to fly!!
_ _ Besides, memberships imply that you are getting something for the amount – not a contribution.
I do wish Cory would update and correct factually inaccurate posts, but it’s as if he posts from another universe or something, one where posts are fixed forever, static and unchangeable once published…
I guess it depends where you live, but I’m currently already paying under 25€/month for unlimited 4G data, calls and texts, so I don’t know what would be the point except to give the money to a nonprofit.
It was too good to be true. From the website news:
Shutdown of Wimax Network
We are sad to announce that due to circumstances beyond our control, the Wimax network we have been offering to our members is shutting down around the first week of November. This means that if you are using network services you received from your Calyx membership that you will lose connectivity at that time.
The back story is that we were getting the access through a company called Clear, and that company was bought by Sprint who then made a decision to use the radio frequency from the Wimax network for its 4G/LTE data service.
However, Sprint has been unable to transition our user base to the 4G/LTE network quickly enough to avoid an interruption in service.
Therefore if you want to remain online, you need to find other arrangements for your Internet connectivity.
We hope to be able to begin delivering 4G/LTE data service to our members as a membership benefit at some time in the future though we can’t say exactly when that will happen or exactly what the details of the offer will be.
Please stay tuned here for details as they become available.
I’m a little confused. Clear shut down in November of 2015. Corey posted this nearly a year later, personally vouching for the connectivity, noting the service is new to him, writing “I’ve had it for a couple months,” implying that he bought it well after the November closure of Clear and that his modem still works today. When I researched this earlier I double checked to make sure this wasn’t one of Cory’s necrobumped 5 year-old posts, and it isn’t, as far as I can tell.
Plus, doesn’t Sprint still have the exact same lien on the Spectrum? That doesn’t just go away, does it?
That news item is older than the news item announcing the 4G/LTE service. The thing that Cory posted about is the new service, that took over after the Wimax network was shut down.
[quote]Q: How long have you been offering wireless data to Calyx’s members ?
A: We have been providing this membership benefit to our users since 2013. Originally it was provisioned on the Clear network, and used WiMAX (link is external) technology. The Clear WiMAX accounts Calyx provided to its users were unlimited over the course of the month. No data cap, no throttling, no overage charges. However Clear’s WiMAX network went down in February of 2016 after Clear was purchased by Sprint. As of April 2016, new members (and membership renewals) are being provided with connections using modern 4G / LTE technology instead.
Q: What are the specifications of the 4G / LTE service that Calyx provides to its members ?
A: The exact wording in our contract says “…a 30GB+ 4G LTE data-only plan (with no throttling, suspension, or overage charges after 30GB). The plan does not include off-network roaming and it is subject to any standard network management that Sprint may apply to commercial broadband data-only account holders.”[/quote]
OK. I would prefer that the website be updated with current information. and clarify the wimax / 4G / LTE information. Looks like I misread the news item. Sorry people. Going to order a system today.
One of the places that I worked as a bartender (during the 1980s) counted drinks served to diners as part of my tip allowance. The servers never tipped me for drinks that they served even though the company declared eight percent of those drink totals as tips to the IRS. I got audited five years after I left this job, and I had to pay back taxes and penalties for the five years even though I kept a tip diary.
