This is anti-net neutrality under a different name. The throttle mechanism is supra-data cap charges instead of literal throttling.
No it isn't. Since bandwidth is now a metered product, this is noting more than a network 800 number. The speeds are the same, it is just a question of who pays.
Its really simple, as an ISP, if you make your own services faster by purposly making others slow or cost more, thats against net neutrality.
AT&T is including their own services as unmetered so customers will want to use them over others. AT&T offers owncloud an online storage you pay for monthly, yet now bandwidth is excluded. They even let you back up your home PC and Phone's internal/external storage.
This is the the heart of network nuterality, an ISP's (Which AT&T is), charging more to use competitors services. So now AT&T can offer Email, Storage, Video/Picture sharing, for FREE yet charge you to use Google, Microsoft, Apple, etc using bandwidth costs.
This is no different than Comcast wanting to charge more for Netflix bandwidth, they found a work around by capping the data, and excluding their own Comcast Video On Demand service from the data cap. They would love to slow down the service and make HD unusable, but the horse is out of the barn, people are more educated now.
The end goal is customer lock in. They get you using their services, you dont want to move due to the hassle of data migration and costs. AT&T wants to lock customers in so badly they are offering to buy out your T-Mobile contract to get you to move.
AT&T isnt listening to its customers on what services they want or need, they are offering competing services but not new or improved services. Where is the core funcationality upgrades to voicemail and access controls. Where are the automated phone answering services with features? Overlay features such as temporary phone numbers for craiglist/ebay sales?, Location based services open to app developers, high priority data for business needs, bluetooth enabled services, payment services?
They are at the core of everything mobile related, yet they sit on their asses until its too late then try to limit other businesses by deceptive practices. They cripple phones for their own business purposes, they dont disable data roaming and people get hit with tens of thousands in data roaming charges, they over charge lines to the elderly, they charge for basics in a way to nickle and dime customers.
They should offer a good business model that enables services and growth, not try to be the big duoploy (verizon/att) and cripple competition.