AT&T will start counting HBO Max against data limits, blames California net neutrality law [telecom]

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By Lauren Feiner

AT&T will no longer exempt viewership of its HBO Max streaming service from data caps after a federal court upheld California's net neutrality law, the company said in a statement Wednesday.

The company informed customers that it would no longer offer "Data Free TV" on its video apps beginning March 25, according to a copy of the customer notice obtained by CNBC. That means customers must be connected to WiFi to avoid having their streaming count toward their total data caps. The change will extend beyond California, since, AT&T said, "the Internet does not recognize state borders."