Giant telephone company AT&T sent a lengthy letter to the Federal Communications Commission yesterday attacking Google by accusing it of double standards for openness.
Last Friday the FCC opened an inquiry into Google Voice blocking certain calls, but Google rejected allegations it’s a telecom service, and maintains Voice is a web application.
AT&T maintains Google is acting as a telco and has penned the letter to underline its own belief.
Google, said AT&T, has a blocking regime which goes well beyond adult sex lines. It tested Google Voice and came up with the following allegation.
“Google is blocking calls to, among others, an ambulance service, church, bank, law firm, automobile dealer, day spa, orchard, health clinic, tax preparation service, community center, eye doctor, tribal community college, school, residential consumers, a convent of Benedictine nuns, and the campaign office of a Member of the US House of Representatives.”
AT&T continues: “Despite the effors of Google and its supporters to obfuscate this issue, Google’s call blocking is directly related to ‘net neutrality’. Indeed Google’s power to block calls – as well as its ability to abuse its market power in search and other services – dramatically underscores why the Commission cannot rationally exempt Google or any provider of Internet based information services from any rules designed to preserve a ‘free and open Internet’.”
