T-Mobile forced to tell users how much they’re being throttled

T-Mobile likes to say it’s the most honorable and open U.S. carrier, but there are some things the Uncarrier doesn’t like to talk about. For example, its subscribers may have “unlimited data,” but once the 4G LTE data runs out, T-Mobile throttles speeds. The FCC recently ordered T-Mobile to disclose just how much it was slowing down users’ data, and the Uncarrier agreed.

T-Mobile used to just alert customers when they were about to exceed their high-speed data, but now the carrier will actually send a link to a fair speed test to users, as soon as throttling begins. The speed tests will be sent by SMS, along with an explanation of which ones are the most accurate, and which ones will show full network speeds instead of just the speed of your throttled data.

Previously, the Uncarrier was caught misleading users about the speed of their throttled data. T-Mobile used to turn the speed back up to 4G LTE standards whenever users visited speed test sites to find out how slow their data was moving. Shortly after the FCC caught wind of this behavior, it met with T-Mobile to discuss the importance of transparency, especially when it comes to throttling.

“The FCC is committed to ensuring that broadband providers are transparent to consumers. I’m grateful T-Mobile has worked with the FCC to ensure that its customers are better informed about the speeds they are experiencing,” FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said. “Consumers need this information to fully understand what they are getting with their broadband service.”