With the worry over possible net neutrality violations now in its rearview, Verizon is pumping the gas on unlimited video streaming.
The company on Thursday announced that Fios subscribers can now stream video with the Fios Mobile app without using up any of their data. The offer applies to Fios customers who also use Verizon for their mobile phone service, with one exception: those on the new unlimited plan.
"For Verizon Unlimited customers, app data usage will be counted," the Fios Mobile update release notes specify, a caveat first noticed by The Verge. Verizon begins throttling unlimited users during times of network congestion after they have gone through 22GB of data in a month.
The Fios Mobile app lets you stream more than 140 live channels, watch your recorded DVR shows and movies, and access thousands of On Demand titles wherever you are. Now, some customers can stream all the TV, DVR, and on-demand shows they want, data free. To take advantage of this new perk, just download the most recent version of the Fios Mobile app, and you should be good to go.
Verizon also lets its wireless customers watch video from its Go90 mobile app without touching their data.
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Rival AT&T exempts DirecTV Now streaming from mobile data caps.
The announcement comes after the Federal Communications Commission last month dropped its investigations into the practice of zero-rating, or exempting certain kinds of content from a customer's data cap. At the time, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, a noted net neutrality critic, said that wireless carriers' free data programs were good for consumers. He suggested that the FCC would no longer consider these types of programs as violations of net neutrality laws.
"These free-data plans have proven to be popular among consumers, particularly low-income Americans, and have enhanced competition in the wireless marketplace," Pai said in a statement. "Going forward, the Federal Communications Commission will not focus on denying Americans free data."