AT&T users whose “unlimited data” was throttled get $60 million in refunds

Enlarge / The AT&T logo displayed at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona on February 25, 2019. (credit: Getty Images | Gabriel Bouys )

AT&T has agreed to pay $60 million back to customers to settle a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit over the carrier's severe throttling of mobile data plans advertised as "unlimited."

The FTC, which sued AT&T in 2014, announced the settlement today. The deal ends a long saga in which AT&T unsuccessfully tried to cripple the FTC's regulatory authority over telecoms. A court loss last year basically forced AT&T to settle the case.

"AT&T promised unlimited data-without qualification-and failed to deliver on that promise," FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Andrew Smith said in the announcement. "While it seems obvious, it bears repeating that Internet providers must tell people about any restrictions on the speed or amount of data promised."

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