With “Sponsored Data” AT&T is double dipping. And that’s just dirty

[Commentary] AT&T, under the guise of “sponsored data,” launched a sneaky attack on innovation -- though it has been talking about it for a while, as reported by my colleagues in the past.

AT&T, disingenuous as always, is touting examples of movie companies buying data to show trailers and health insurance companies to show instructional videos. It’s a good example of how big phone companies and cable companies whitewash their true intentions. This is the first step of what AT&T has always wanted -- a return to the old fashion, usage-based circuit switch model. The news seems innocuous at best, but in the end it is an assault on the innovation. Given a toothless Federal Communications Commission with compromised values, these “examples” are a good way for AT&T to hide from consumers and regulators what I believe is double dipping. And while it might seem like a good way for AT&T to make more money; in the end this will be like cutting off the nose to spite the face. The final price will be paid by none other than the startup ecosystem that has blossomed in the post-iPhone era and has actually lead to the data usage boom that has allowed Ma Bell to keep posting handsome earnings growth over past few years.