NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] The Saga Continues! Google Voice -- AT&T -- and Some Fun with Pure Hypocrisy!
The Saga Continues! Google Voice -- AT&T -- and Some Fun with Pure Hypocrisy!
http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000623.html
Greetings. In the continuing saga of AT&T vs. Google Voice, now comes
word that the FCC has sent a letter to Google asking for more
information about Google Voice and Google's reportedly quite
reasonable blocking of rural interexchange compensation scams
( http://bit.ly/3Zf4Mu [New York Times]).
As I noted a couple of days ago in "Some Questions Answered Regarding
Google Voice and WSJ on Net Neutrality"
( http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000621.html ), Google's position on
this matter seems entirely justifiable, especially given the total
insanity of the current rural interexchange compensation mess.
But there's another aspect to the story that I personally find highly
amusing.
Ya' see, many or most of the lawmakers now pushing the FCC to
investigate Google Voice have reportedly benefited quite nicely from
AT&T and other Big Telecom campaign donations in the past. And, gee,
oddly enough, it's many of the same rural lawmakers whose constituents
have "cashed in" very nicely indeed from the rurally-based sex lines
and other similar call termination compensation shakedowns.
Yet it gets even better. It turns out that at the same time as AT&T
is trying to assert that Google Voice -- a non-common carrier
service -- must meet the same call termination requirements as common
carrier services, it turns out that AT&T has been refusing to pay its
*own* bills owed to rural carriers!
Two South Dakota telephone carriers recently sent a letter to the FCC
accusing AT&T -- who clearly under current law is required to pay
those fees -- of outright hypocrisy in this matter:
"AT&T is engaging in very similar conduct to 'reduce its access
expenses' by simply refusing to pay its bills," Buntrock wrote.
'Indeed, if one were to replace 'Google' with 'AT&T,' and call
blocking' with 'no pay' in AT&T's [letter to the FCC], Northern
Valley and Sancom would have little to add to describe AT&T's
unlawful campaign.'"
Ah Ma Bell, the more things change, the more they stay the same!
Stay tuned! Don't touch that telephone dial! More to come ...
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein
lauren@vortex.com
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
http://www.pfir.org/lauren
Co-Founder, PFIR
- People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
Co-Founder, NNSquad
- Network Neutrality Squad - http://www.nnsquad.org
Founder, GCTIP - Global Coalition
for Transparent Internet Performance - http://www.gctip.org
Founder, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein