Three things happened in wireless this week that touch your bill: AT&T quietly raised prices on older plans, T-Mobile closed its last loophole for avoiding the $35 device-connection fee, and the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that could weaken how the FCC fines carriers for breaches.
AT&T raised prices on older plans this month
AT&T's April 2026 increase hits three groups of customers, all on plans the carrier has stopped selling to new subscribers:
- Retired unlimited plans: $10/month more for single-line accounts, or $20/month total for multi-line accounts. AT&T is adding 20 GB of monthly hotspot data as compensation.
- Unlimited Your Way smartphone lines activated before July 24, 2025: $5/month per line, with 10 GB of extra hotspot data added.
- Legacy Mobile Share plans: $5/month for plans under 6 GB, $10/month for 6 GB and up.
What this means for you: if you're on any AT&T plan you signed up for more than a year or two ago, check your most recent bill. The compensation hotspot data is real, but unless you regularly tether, it's not going to offset $5–$20 a month in cash. A current Unlimited Starter SL line is about $66/month before taxes and fees, so a $5 hike on an old Unlimited Your Way line shrinks the gap to switching to a newer plan or to an MVNO running on AT&T's network.
T-Mobile's $35 fee now hits Apple Store buyers too
Starting March 27, T-Mobile's $35 Device Connection Charge applies to iPhones bought directly from Apple — in-store, online, or in the Apple Store app. The fee shows up on next month's bill, not at checkout, because Apple's checkout doesn't let carriers add line items.
That removes the most common workaround T-Mobile customers used to avoid the charge. The remaining no-fee channels for T-Mobile activations are Samsung, Sam's Club, and Costco.
What this means for you: if you bought an iPhone through Apple after March 27 and your T-Mobile bill is higher than expected this month, that's where the $35 came from. Going forward, factor the Device Connection Charge into any new-line decision — it's still avoidable, but only at three retailers. If you're on T-Mobile's Price Lock guarantee, note that the lock covers your plan rate, not fees like this one.
Supreme Court signals it may weaken FCC fining power
On April 21, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in FCC v. AT&T, a case that asks whether the FCC's in-house process for fining carriers violates the Seventh Amendment right to a jury trial. The fines at stake: $57 million against AT&T and $46.9 million against Verizon, both for failing to protect customer location data under the 1996 Telecommunications Act.
The Fifth Circuit threw out the AT&T fine; the Second Circuit upheld the Verizon fine. The justices appeared receptive to the FCC's argument that its forfeiture orders aren't binding until the DOJ files a federal lawsuit to enforce them — at which point a jury trial is available. Chief Justice John Roberts called the orders a "PR problem" because they say the carriers "did something bad" without forcing payment. A ruling is expected by late June or early July.
What this means for you: this is a regulatory inside-baseball case, but the consumer angle is real. If the FCC's existing fining process is weakened, the agency's leverage over breach disclosure and customer-data protection drops. That doesn't change anything you pay this week, but it shapes how aggressively carriers handle your data going forward.
The SaveOnPhone read
- If you're on an old AT&T plan, the cheapest fix right now is usually switching to a current plan or an MVNO on the same network — not negotiating the legacy line.
- T-Mobile's Price Lock doesn't lock fees. The Device Connection Charge, regulatory recovery charges, and similar line items all keep moving.
- Carrier-data security is having a regulatory moment. Expect more breach-disclosure noise over the next quarter, regardless of how the Supreme Court rules.
- The "free hotspot data" AT&T is offering as compensation is worth less than $5/month to most people. Don't let it talk you out of running the math.
What to do this week
- Pull your most recent AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon bill and look for line items you didn't see last month. The Device Connection Charge and AT&T's hike both show up as new charges, not plan-rate changes.
- Calculate your real monthly cost — base rate plus fees plus financing — and compare it against what an equivalent line on Mint, US Mobile, Visible, or Cricket would cost on the same network.
- If you're on a "retired" or "legacy" AT&T plan, ask in chat whether the current Unlimited Starter SL or Extra EL is cheaper for your exact line count.
- If you're considering a new iPhone on T-Mobile, buy through Sam's Club, Costco, or Samsung — not Apple — to avoid the $35 charge.
- Set a calendar reminder for late June to check the FCC ruling. If carriers' fining liability drops, expect data-handling practices to follow.
Sources
- AT&T price increase summary, RV Mobile Internet (April 2026): rvmobileinternet.com
- T-Mobile Device Connection Charge for Apple purchases, TmoNews (March 20, 2026): tmonews.com
- "Court appears skeptical of right to jury trial in FCC proceedings," SCOTUSblog (April 21, 2026): scotusblog.com
- Verizon fee increase context (background), Tom's Guide (August 2025): tomsguide.com