AT&T shifts data cap for grandfathered 'unlimited' plans from 5GB to 22GB

AT&T on Wednesday changed the LTE data cap for its grandfathered "unlimited" data plans, improving the ceiling from 5 to 22 gigabytes of data before throttling kicks in.

The U.S. carrier noted that even once the cap is hit, subscribers will only experience throttling "when the customer is using his or her device at times and in areas where there is network congestion and only for the remainder of the current billing cycle." Prior to May, throttling was imposed across the board for anyone over 5 gigabytes.

The change may be another response to legal actions by both the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission. AT&T is still fighting a $100 million fine from the FCC, which accused it of using misleading statements about its unlimited plans. The FTC is suing for similar reasons, and if successful, some of the damages should be returned to affected AT&T customers.

Sprint and Verizon ended their hard limits on unlimited users earlier this year. Those carriers now throttle traffic only based on network congestion, regardless of a person's data plan. AT&T's new policy is most similar to T-Mobile, which has a 21 gigabyte cap and likewise throttles only when congestion is a problem.

Under the influence of Apple, AT&T used unlimited data as a way of attracting shoppers to the first-generation iPhone. Both AT&T and Verizon have veered away from unlimited plans in recent times, however, in order to avoid spending more on network infrastructure.