FCC concerned about AT&T exempting DirecTV from data caps

Federal regulators say that they are concerned that AT&T's exempting its DirecTV unit from cellphone data caps could hurt competition.

AT&T lets customers watch video on DirecTV apps on their AT&T cellphones without eating into monthly data allotments. It's expected to do the same with an upcoming, $35-a-month TV streaming service called DirecTV Now.

The Federal Communications Commission, in a letter to AT&T, says that may disadvantage video providers that aren't owned by AT&T, ultimately hurting consumers. The FCC says other companies could have to pay AT&T a lot to get the same "zero rating" for their services.

AT&T executive Bob Quinn says in a statement that letting people watch video without using their data benefits consumers.