[ale] Verizon has to leave me alone now

[Charles Shapiro]

At the ALE talk on CyanogenMod  ( http://www.cyanogenmod.com/ ) I
mentioned that one advantage to loading a free build of Android was
that you get tethering/wifi with the build, while Verizon wanted to
charge you $20 a month for the privilege of using your smartphone as a
modem for your computer.  In the Q/A, we discussed whether Verizon
might throw you off their network or punish you otherwise for
tethering your phone without paying the $20 to them.

That has now changed.  The FCC has ordered Verizon to allow tethering,
on the grounds that charging for it restricts public access to the
airwaves. ( http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57485518-94/what-verizons-fcc-tethering-settlement-means-to-you-faq/
) The decision was reached WRT to 4G networking, which my phone does
not support, but it appears that Verizon is knuckling under on 3G as
well.

Hurray.  Now go out and FIX YOUR PHONE!


-- CHS