AT&T tiered data plan and questions about regulatory oversight

There's lots of interest in Washington about consumer billing practices. There are also questions about the Federal Communications Commission's push for better authority to regulate broadband services that could affect the wireless mobile broadband industry.

Rebecca Arbogast, a tech policy analyst at Stifel Nicolaus, said she believes the FCC will continue to allow wireless providers to experiment with different business models, including tiered pricing like that announced by AT&T. The FCC has said it is debating whether to include wireless services in its push to redefine broadband as a telecommunications service. The biggest concern by investors is that the move would -- particularly down the road -- lead to price regulation of broadband and a requirement for network operators to share their Internet lines with competitors. Regulators will like how AT&T's plan allows for a lower entry point for Internet users and is designed to clearly inform users when they go over their allotted amount of data for the month, Arbogast said. But she noted that such pricing models would get greater scrutiny for broadband providers who also produce content. Time Warner Cable scrapped tiered pricing plans after pressure by public interest groups and lawmakers who feared those that models would allow the broadband and cable company to favor its own content.