By Teresa Dixon Murray, The Plain Dealer
A week ago, I wrote about a sudden surge, in my family's cell phone data through Verizon. In my unscientific survey that lasted one week in late August, every friend and acquaintance I asked said they were having the same problem: Their monthly data use had been soaring in recent months for no apparent reason. For some people, using more data meant hefty over-limit fees, often amounting to $50 or $100 or $200 extra a month.
In the past week, I've heard from thousands of people, mostly Verizon customers, but quite a few AT&T customers too. People from all over the nation. Most have iPhones. Some have Androids. All have seen their data use jump significantly -- doubling or tripling since the spring in many cases, even though their cell phone habits haven't changed. Data costs money. As if Verizon, the nation's largest wireless carrier, doesn't make enough money, it posted a profit of $18 billion -- billion with a B -- last year. That's up from $2 billion five years ago.