Verizon reportedly blocking tethering for jailbreakers

From CNET News.com: Verizon is reportedly preventing jailbreakers from unauthorized tethering, at least according to one account at ReadWriteWeb.

The tech blogging site recently revealed that one of its own employees tried to use a jailbroken Motorola phone without a data plan to tether on Verizon's network. But instead of gaining access, the person was "blocked" by Verizon and redirected to a page describing the carrier's terms and conditions for using a mobile hotspot.

If accurate, this is a new development on the part of Verizon since the employee said she was able to use her jailbroken device as a hotspot two days earlier.

Verizon subscribers who want to use their smartphones or other mobile device as a wireless hotspot normally have to pay $20 a month for 2 gigabytes of data to tap into the company's Mobile Broadband Connect service. That price is on top of the monthly $29.99 or higher that the subscriber already pays for a data plan.

Verizon didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

As ReadWriteWeb points out, Verizon's apparent move mimics a similar action on the part of AT&T. Following a series of warnings to unauthorized tetherers in March, AT&T will now automatically starting bumping up such users to a $45-per-month tethering plan, says Boy Genius Report.

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