AT&T To Charge For Over-The-Air 3G FaceTime, New Pop-Up In iOS 6 Beta 3

Still have that “unlimited” data plan grandfathered in on AT&T? Get ready to add another limitation to the list for the release of iOS 6. When enabling native FaceTime over Cellular in iOS 6, a popup appears informing the user that they will have to call AT&T or go to their website to enable this feature. Likely this means that they will have to pay to use the service.

AT&T initially had a similar approach to the iPhone’s built in Personal Hotspot feature, which allows the iPhone to act as a 3G modem for a tethered computer or devices connected via WiFi and bluetooth. The feature is currently restricted on 5GB data plans. AT&T has also throttled data used by the top 5% of its unlimited data users.
It’s absurd for AT&T to charge for bandwidth and then to charge additional fees for different features that happen to use that bandwidth. If I buy 3GB worth of data from AT&T, shouldn’t I be able to push those bits through AT&T’s network regardless of whether the content is a YouTube video or a conversation with a friend? Their network shouldn’t care if the bits are going to a phone or a laptop screen.
The only justification for charging for FaceTime over 3G is if AT&T provides a separate “pool” for FaceTime calls. Perhaps by offering optional minutes to keep data costs manageable. It is currently unknown if AT&T will charge customers for using unofficial methods of enabling FaceTime over 3G, such as jailbreak tweaks like My3G.
9to5Mac has attempted to replicate the error message on an iPad on Verizon’s network, but it did not seem to require a special service to activate 3G FaceTime calls.

Is AT&T justified in charging fees for special features, or should these fees be prohibited? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.