Sprint Nextel: ‘We may place restrictions’ on Xohm usage: T&C ‘restrictions’ cause concern

The enthusiasm surrounding Sprint Nextel Corp.’s launch of its Xohm-branded mobile WiMAX service took a bit of a hit as a Washington, D.C.-based group noted the service’s terms and conditions contains a clause that would allow Sprint Nextel to limit users’ access to certain content.
Media reform group Free Press noted that Xohm’s T&Cs state Sprint Nextel “may use various tools and techniques designed to limit the bandwidth available for certain bandwidth-intensive applications or protocols, such as file sharing.”
Xohm’s T&Cs also state: “To protect our network, services, or for other reasons, we may place restrictions on accessing certain data content (such as certain Web sites, applications, etc.), limit throughput or the amount of data you can transfer, or otherwise limit or terminate services.”
Sprint Nextel spokesman John Polivka said the carrier has no plans to police or limit access to any content Xohm customers try to access over the mobile network, but added that the carrier will take action if a consumer is using a dispaportionate amount of bandwidth that in turn limits other users’ access.
“We are not targeting any specific application. We are only going to ensure the best quality of service for all of our users,” Polivka said.
Sprint Nextel has gone to great lengths to promote the openness of its mobile WiMAX service, and has touted its broad spectrum holdings in the 2.5 GHz band as enough to support various bandwidth-intensive applications.