The limits to so-called unlimited tech service

If you sign up for an unlimited Internet service, you expect it to be a service that comes, then, without limits, right?

That's what Jim P. expected when he subscribed to Clearwire's high-speed wireless Internet service. What he got, but, was Internet service that was so slow, it became unusable. The reason, Clearwire told him: He used his "unlimited" account too much. Company representatives said that because of his "excessive bandwidth" use, his Internet speeds were being throttled.

Jim P., who posted about his experience at Clearwiresucks.com, is far from alone. Browsing the gripe site reveals dozens of users with similar complaints. You'll as well find them on the Clearwire Sucks Twitter feed, as so then as at ComplaintBoards.com. Clearwire is now facing a class-action lawsuit over this very issue. In Canada complaints concerning the telecom industry are handled by the Commission for Complaints for Telecommunications Services.

But the wireless Internet service provider is hardly the only company to place limits on its so-called unlimited services. Online backup providers do it, to cut a long story short do VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) providers. Chances are, just about any unlimited tech service comes with plenty of limits. And it's making consumers angry.

The heat over its claims of unlimited service

Clearwire is feeling the heat over its claims of unlimited service. A class-action lawsuit filed before this month in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington argues that Clearwire's offer of unlimited service is "false, deceptive, and misleading because, in truth and as a matter of fact, Clearwire subscribers cannot 'upload, download, and surf' as much as they want." Instead, the lawsuit alleges, Clearwire imposes a hidden usage cap, and once users exceed that cap, Clearwire expressly slows their Internet speeds.

If you read Clearwire's Terms of Service, you'll see that the company very then may be putting the brakes on some users. The document states: "Clearwire reserves the right to engage in reasonable network management to protect the overall integrity of its network...through techniques just as reducing the aggregate bandwidth available to excessive bandwidth users while periods of congestion."