Legislators Join Anti-Google Voice Chorus, Ask FCC To Investigate

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Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Ind.) and 19 other legislators sent a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski requesting an investigation into rural users not being able to receive Google Voice calls because of high connection charges.

"Concerns arose after media reports confirmed Google maintains it has the right to block calls to certain telephone exchanges because it does not believe Google Voice falls under the jurisdiction of the FCC and specifically the common carrier service," said Buyer in a statement. "A bipartisan group of my colleagues and I are concerned when a service provider unfairly blocks calls to certain exchanges -- regardless of the technology used to initiate the call whether it would be Web-based applications or traditional phone services."

Despite earlier criticism from AT&T, Google makes no apology for its Google Voice practice and maintains that it should not be treated like traditional phone companies, which are banned from blocking calls to rural areas.

"Google Voice's goal is to provide consumers with free or low-cost access to as many advanced communications features as possible," wrote Richard Whitt, Google's Washington Telecom and Media Counsel, in a blog."In order to do this, Google Voice does restrict certain outbound calls from our Web platform to these high-priced destinations."

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Last month AT&T sent a formal complaint to the FCC contending that Google is violating FCC fair competition rules.

"Google Voice has claimed for itself a significant advantage over providers offering competing services," said Robert Quinn, AT&T senior vice president, Federal Regulatory, in a statement. "By openly flaunting the call blocking prohibition that applies to its competitors, Google is acting in a manner inconsistent with the spirit, if not the letter, of the FCC's fourth principle contained in its Internet Policy Statement."

"The FCC's open Internet principles apply only to the behavior of broadband carriers -- not the creators of Web-based software applications," said Google's Whitt. "Even though the FCC does not have jurisdiction over how software applications function, AT&T apparently wants to use the regulatory process to undermine Web-based competition and innovation."