The FCC sent letters to AT&T, T-Mobile and Comcast this week asking the companies to discuss their data policies, Reuters reported Thursday.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler reportedly told reporters Thursday that the commission is seeking information on some of the “innovative things” the providers are doing with respect to Internet data.
Recently, Wheeler lauded T-Mobile’s new “Binge On” video streaming service as “highly innovative and highly competitive” and said the commission would keep an eye on the offering amid questions about the service’s compatibility with net neutrality rules.
Launched in November, Binge On allows T-Mobile customers to stream mobile video without using their high-speed data allotment.
Reuters said Wheeler is also interested in new data policies from AT&T and Comcast, which include the former’s “sponsored data plans” that allow advertisers to subsidize user data for certain content and the latter’s “Stream TV” service that doesn’t count Comcast services against a user’s data allowance.
Last week, Verizon said it is also looking into offering sponsored data opportunities for advertisers and content providers.
Wheeler said the goal of meeting with the companies is to help the commission “keep aware” of what is happening in the Internet data marketplace.