
Verizon demands $880 from rural library for just 0.44GB of roaming data - occamschainsaw
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/08/verizon-demands-880-from-rural-library-for-just-0-44gb-of-roaming-data/
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aib
What is this roaming thing and why is it so expensive? Does it connect to a
different internet?

Seriously, though; we all use the same (couple of different brands of) phones
to connect to the same (couple of different brands of) station hardware to get
through to the same global network. A small difference in the choice of
stations shouldn't make a large difference in the amount of cost reflected.

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joecool1029
>What is this roaming thing and why is it so expensive?

Networks need to negotiate mutual roaming agreements. Verizon and others
didn't give a shit for many years, billed absurdly high rates to their own
customers and paid whatever the roaming network wanted.

Now you can get reciprocity... maybe Telus customers in Canada want to roam
free/cheap on Verizon, and Verizon starts caring and wants to roam free on
Telus. They make an agreement where there's no roaming cost. Obviously this
can go wrong if either company overloads the other, but it's how modern
agreements work

Domestic roaming is different. In this case, providers will work together
favorably if it's a regional and a national carrier trying to extend out each
other's coverage footprints (good example would be T-Mobile roaming on US
Cellular because they have similar spectrum holdings, but in different
markets). Now where the gouging kicks in is between direct national
competitors: I remember seeing court filings from T-Mobile suing AT&T for them
billing something like $17/MB for roaming access to their 3G network in
underserved areas. The suit was because AT&T had to provide roaming access as
part of their acquisition breakup agreement, but the agreement never
stipulated the exact cost for that roaming arrangement. T-Mobile wanted the
court to enforce a 'fair market value' on it.

TL;DR: Company needs to give a shit about its customers to properly negotiate
international roaming arrangements, or bill them at an absurd enough rate that
they won't incur a loss.

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thinkloop
Add to that that it's in no carrier's interest to have agreements and for them
all to "over" bill their customers. Only when one carrier breaks the unspoken
agreement (and starts taking customers) do others have to acquiesce. Thank you
T-Mobile.

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writepub
There are parts of San Diego near the border, where the only network a phone
receives is from a Mexican carrier, while being inside U.S. territory. Racking
up roaming fees from auto-updates and background app execution is a common
occurrence

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vinay427
Many US carriers now include the same usage in Mexico (and Canada) as in the
US, which should alleviate this problem.

It was really common in Michigan as well, even inside some buildings very
clearly on the US mainland.

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dymk
Boy I sure wish that was the case for ATT, but it’s not, and they’re one of
the top three carriers in the US.

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vinay427
I don't have personal experience, but all of their default plans advertised
here seem to include at least Mexico:
[https://www.att.com/plans/wireless.html](https://www.att.com/plans/wireless.html)

Maybe you're on an older plan (that may also be cheaper)?

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scarface74
_She contacted the legal team and they went back and forth and finally decided
that no, we couldn 't have our fee waived_

You’re really telling me that their legal team told them it would be a breach
of their contract for Verizon to issue a refund? What could the lawyers
possibly be worried about would happen if they charged their customer less?

Verizon and Comcast are two companies I avoid at all costs.

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karmakaze
Wireless roaming is now what 'long distance' calling rates between area codes
were--synthetic price markups.

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singularity2001
This kind of behavior was outlawed in the EU some years ago so you can demand
the same

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dfeojm-zlib
What should be nearly free and ubiquitous is obscenely extorted. Welcome to
underprotected vulture cannibal vampire capitali$m with a Verizon lawyer
heading the FCC.

