T-Mobile Says It May Slow Home Internet Speeds of Some Users in Times of ‘Congestion’

T-Mobile has tweaked its terms of service for its home broadband users to add a new clause: If you are a heavy internet user that passes 1.2TB of data in a monthly billing cycle, you may have your speeds slowed in “times of congestion” or when there is a lot of pressure on the network. 

As spotted by The Mobile Report, the change went into effect on Jan. 18. In its updated terms, the carrier says that these users “will be prioritized last on the network” in congestion situations, which could mean painfully slow speeds for however long the congestion persists. T-Mobile does note that since its Home Internet service is available only in “limited areas” and intended to be used in a “stationary” setting, as opposed to a phone that could be in a busy place like a packed stadium, “these customers should be less likely to notice congestion in general.”

So what exactly is going on? Here is what you need to know. 

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Read more: T-Mobile raises home internet price back to $60 per month for new users

Is T-Mobile adding a data cap? 

While it may seem similar to a data cap that other broadband providers have used — where your data fully stops after you’ve reached a maximum amount unless you pay more — this isn’t that. Instead, it’s a potential limitation that T-Mobile is adding so that in areas where its network is being taxed by too much demand, heavy home internet users could see their data slowed down while things are busy (or as wireless carriers like to describe it, “congested”). 

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