"Would an ISP still be able to call their service "unlimited", by this definition, if some of their distribution nodes (cable optical nodes, wireless cell towers, whatever) are oversubscribed+saturated to the point of degraded service for the customers on that node?"
I actually complained to the FCC about this very issue. Where my office is, I can see the service degradation progress over the course of the day, peaking around 2PM when everyone's in the office. Should ATT really be allowed to advertise that they provide LTE service here, when every weekday the service provided is much, much slower, if usable at all?
What does it mean to sell wireless service 'where my office is'? Presumably you could drive somewhere inside their geographic service area and continue to get service. After all, its wireless.
Every service will be limited by local congestion. I'm not sure where this could be going? I get unlimited water from my local water company; but of course the pipes and the number of faucets at my house are practical limits.
If there's too much congestion to provide LTE speeds in a certain area, they shouldn't be able to advertise LTE speeds in that area. Or they should build more capacity to manage the congestion.
I actually complained to the FCC about this very issue. Where my office is, I can see the service degradation progress over the course of the day, peaking around 2PM when everyone's in the office. Should ATT really be allowed to advertise that they provide LTE service here, when every weekday the service provided is much, much slower, if usable at all?