So can you use Republic to tether and thus provide your internet connection to your house?
Nope. They don't even like you using the phone much outside of your WiFi hotspot where you get data from some other source.
19. Acceptable Use Policy; Usage Limitations; Off-Network Roaming; Other Usage Matters; Matters Related to Data Services.
(c) In addition to those uses prohibited as illegal, improper or inappropriate pursuant to Republic Wireless’ Acceptable Use Policy or otherwise, You will not (and will not permit Users to): (i) generate excessive network traffic through the continuous, unattended streaming, downloading or uploading of videos or other files or otherwise, or the operation of hosting services, each as determined by Republic Wireless in its sole discretion, (ii) maintain continuous active network connections through the use of a web camera or other machine-to-machine connections that do not involve active participation by a person; (iii) utilize excessively, as determined by Republic Wireless in its sole discretion, any community member support; (iv) utilize any Mobile Device(s) in a manner inconsistent with normal consumer usage, including, without limitation, any disassembly or modification of any Mobile Device(s) or any cabling of any Mobile Device(s) to any unaffiliated location; (v) modify any software included in any Mobile Device(s); (vi) utilize any Mobile Device(s) as a modem for computers or other equipment (or otherwise tether such Mobile Device to any such computers or other equipment), unless Republic Wireless identifies the Service Plan and/or Mobile Device provided as specifically intended for that purpose; (vii) violate or infringe any copyright, patent, trademark or trade secret or right of privacy or publicity or any other personal or proprietary right of any third parties; (viii) will not send or attempt to send any message(s) that include a virus, Trojan horse, worm, back door, trap door, time bomb, drop-dead device, timer, clock, counter or other limiting routine, as well as any other instructions, designs, software routines, or hardware components designed to: (A) disable, erase, or otherwise harm software, hardware, data, text or any other information stored in electronic form; (B) cause any of the foregoing with the passage of time; or (C) place a program or hardware under the positive control of a person other than an owner or licensee of the program or hardware; or (ix) will not send or attempt to send any message(s) that include any spamming, mail-bombing, spoofing or any fraudulent, illegal or unauthorized use.
You (and everyone else) should also give their
AUP, the full
T&C and
any other legal document a full read. You want to know
why I don't recommend Republic at the most fundamental level? It comes down to those legal documents you commit to after shelling your money out. Their own contracts basically stand in stark contrast to everything they promise in the advertising copy.
Here's one of my favorite bits:
REPUBLIC WIRELESS RESERVES THE RIGHT TO IMMEDIATELY TERMINATE SERVICE AND, IN ADDITION TO ANY AND ALL OTHER APPLICABLE CHARGES UNDER THESE TERMS OF SERVICE, CHARGE A MINIMUM INAPPROPRIATE USE FEE OF $500 AND/OR CHARGE $0.05 PER MINUTE FOR ALL CALLS MADE DURING SUCH PERIODS OF PROHIBITED USE, WHICHEVER IS HIGHER, CHARGE $0.04 PER SMS OR MMS FOR ALL SMS’ OR MMS’ MADE DURING SUCH PERIODS OF PROHIBITED USE, AND CHARGE $0.30 PER MB OF DATA CONTENT FOR USAGE DURING SUCH PERIODS OF PROHIBITED USE, AS WELL AS ALL APPLICABLE AMOUNTS DUE PURSUANT TO THESE TERMS OF SERVICE AND THE SERVICE PLAN. (WE DO NOT REALLY WANT TO CHARGE YOU THESE FEES AND DO NOT EXPECT THAT YOU WILL DO ANYTHING THAT MAKES US THINK ABOUT IT. PLEASE BEHAVE.)
But you'll note even with the cutesy language in a legal document, they don't exactly disclose where this magic line is anywhere except that it's
by their discretion. Not even America Movil has the gall to threaten a $500+ fine on top of disconnecting your service for "abusing" their data connection, and
at least they've finally disclosed a data soft cap policy as well.
Edit: That said, just for historical perspective back in their beta phase...
here's what Republic considered to be abusive usage in the past.
How much cellular usage is too much?
It depends. Even assuming 0% wifi usage, for example, you could consume 550 minutes, send 150 texts, and download 300 megabytes of data without crossing the community’s fair use threshold. Everyone's usage patterns will be different, but we're confident you’ll be amazed at how little cellular you actually use when you have a phone that makes it easy to leverage the power of your Wi-Fi networks.
550 minutes, 150 texts, 300MB of data of
actual mobile usage.
Reach your own conclusions, folks.
