Congressional support for AT&T complaint against Google Voice

Jake Widman
Saturday, 10 October 2009 06:22

IT Industry - Market

That's what prompted AT&T's letter (PDF) to the FCC on September 25, in which it called Google "one of the most noisome trumpeters of so-called 'net neutrality' regulation" but one that was not playing by its own rules.

The letter complained that "Google Voice thus has claimed for itself a significant advantage over providers offering competing services."

In a blog response, Google telecom and media counsel Richard Whitt acknowledged that Google Voice does restrict calls to "high-priced destinations." He agreed that "the current carrier compensation system is badly flawed" but argued that Google Voice is a Web application, not a traditional carrier, and so is not subject to the 2007 directive.

Now AT&T has garnered some support from Washington lawmakers, a group of whom wrote to FCC chairman Julius Genachowski "formally requesting an investigation by the FCC into the nature and function of Google Inc's voice service."

That was a couple of days ago. Today the FCC sent a letter (PDF) to Google asking for response by October 28 to questions about exactly how Google Voice works and how the company decides which calls to block.

Back at the Google blog, Whitt today acknowledged the FCC's letter, reiterates Google's defense (citing "soldiers and the homeless" among Google Voice users), and implied that AT&T's complaint was hypocritical.

This is only the latest difference between AT&T and Google Voice the FCC has had to look into, of course. In August, Apple's iPhone App Store rejected a Google Voice app for the iPhone, leading many to believe it was acting at AT&T's behest.

At the time, the FCC asked all three companies to explain themselves.