T-Mobile's headquarters in Bellevue
T-Mobile’s headquarters in Bellevue

T-Mobile customers who go over their data limits will get more information about how their connection is being throttled, thanks to a new deal struck between the Bellevue-based carrier and the Federal Communications Commission.

Under the agreement, T-Mobile will provide users with clearer information about their connection speed, especially when they are having their data throttled. It’s a move to improve the transparency of the carrier’s data plans, which offer customers a set amount of high-speed data every month, then throttle their remaining access to the web if they go over their allowance.

Specifically, T-Mobile users will get text messages when they go over their plan’s limit with a link to a speed test that will give them accurate information about their current data speed. In addition, the company will also provide a button on all the smartphones using its network that offers an accurate speed test.

The agreement comes at a time when the FCC is taking a closer look at throttling and unlimited data plans. The commission has taken a dim view of “unlimited” plans from Verizon and AT&T that throttle users’ data once they reach a certain cap, even though that cap was not publicly disclosed. AT&T is facing a lawsuit from the FCC over its throttling practices.

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