Volume VII

Issue : 14: October 8, 2009

• AT and T Accuses Google of Violating Telecommunications Law
• Bank Email Error Results in Disabled Gmail Account
• Judges Question Damages in Microsoft i4i Patent Case
• Successful Appeal for Microsoft in Uniloc Patent Dispute as Bilski Looms
• Music Publisher Sues Apple Over iTunes Downloads
• Ontario Court Grants Norwich Order to Disclose Identity of Defendants
• U.K. Court Approves Injunction Service by Twitter

Home > Volume VII > Issue 14: October 8, 2009 > AT and T Accuses Google of Violating Telecommunications Law

AT and T Accuses Google of Violating Telecommunications Law

AT&T has alleged that Google has been blocking phone calls to rural areas made through its Google Voice service in order to reduce network access expenses, a cost-saving measure that traditional carriers are prohibited from using, as telecommunication laws require phone operators to offer unrestricted access to phone calls anywhere in the United States.

Google Voice allows users to connect all of their phone numbers to one common number and manage the calls and messages through a Website.

Google acknowledged that Google Voice does restrict some phone calls to rural areas, but claims that it is not a traditional phone service provider but a Web applications company and as such, it should not be subject to laws governing dial-up phone operators.

This dispute highlights the challenges currently being faced by the Federal Communications Commission. The rules and regulations in place for traditional landline phone networks and the Internet are often outdated and it is difficult to clearly apply such regulations to emerging technologies, such as Google Voice.

For additional information, visit:

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