FTC Sends Refunds to Former AT&T Wireless Customers Who Were Subject to Data Throttling

The Federal Trade Commission is sending partial refunds to consumers totaling nearly $6.3 million stemming from the FTC’s lawsuit against AT&T Mobility LLC for misleading customers about its unlimited data plans. The FTC’s $60 million settlement with AT&T, announced in 2019, resolved allegations that the wireless provider failed to adequately disclose to its unlimited data plan customers that, if they reach a certain amount of data use in a given billing cycle, AT&T would reduce—or “throttle”—their data speeds to the point that many common mobile phone applications, such as web browsing and video streaming, became difficult or nearly impossible to use. In 2020, as a result of the settlement, the company gave a bill credit to current AT&T customers and sent refund checks to former customers, which resulted in $52 million returned to consumers. The latest refunds are going to consumers who had not yet received a refund and filed a valid claim with the FTC.