Q: AT&T has a laptopconnect device that can be plugged into a USB port and receives mobile broadband. I was told the service is an extra $50 on the phone bill. I was just wondering if there were any hidden costs out there, because I noticed that on the AT&T communications box that shows up when the device is connected, it has a timer. Any extra charges, other than that monthly fee?
A: Hi Platisine, There aren't really any extra hidden charges. Maybe a couple taxes. The timer isn't a big thing to worry about. While companies in the past used to count time, they now count your actual usage. That brings me to my next point. What they may not have told you is that the AT&T laptopconnect plan have a 5GB usage cap each month. The pricing is as follows: "Rate Plan Details Included Data 5 GB Additional data $0/KB Canadian Data $0.015/KB International Data $0.0195/KB " Additional data = $0 as they will most likely cap your usage or terminate your contract if it happens too much. As for other monthly charges? "In addition to the monthly cost of the rate plan and any selected features, AT&T imposes the following charges: a Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee of up to $1.25 to help defray its cost incurred in complying with obligations and charges imposed by State and Federal telecom regulations, a gross receipts surcharge, and State and Federal Universal Service Charges. These fees are not taxes or government-required charges. Taxes and other fees also apply." Think $10 max in tax. I have a Sprint Aircard and my taxes actually never come up to more than $2. My bill is usually $61 - $62 each month. It's pretty consistent (can't say that about my phone bill though ;-) If taxes and other fees are a big concern for you, I say check a comparison of mobile broadband providers. You can find one at the final link in the references.